FHE-MOTOR-BOAT 
CLUBvVMHE 
GOLDEN -GATE 


PHRVING 
HANCOCK 


»TB«fc  Yom,  B«*  I'H  Hold  Onto  the  Pitcher. 


The  Motor  Boat  Club 
at  the  Golden  Gate 


OR 


A  Thrilling  Capture  in  the  Great  Fog 

By 

H.  IRVING  HANCOCK 

Author   of   The   Motor   Boat    Club   of   the   Kennebec,  The   Mot«r   Boat 

Club  at  Nantucket,  The  Motor  Boat  Club  off  Long 

Island,  The  Motor  Boat  Club  and  the 

Wireless,  The  Motor  Boat  Club 

in  Florida,  etc.,  etc. 


Illustrated 


PHILADELPHIA 

HENRY  ALTEMUS  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  BY  HOWARD  E.  ALTEMUS 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  TOM  HALSTEAD,  KNIGHT  OF  THE  OVERLAND  MAIL,.       7 

II.  HAZING,  M.  B.  C.  K.  STYLE, 22 

III.  CAPTAIN  TOM  's  NEW  COMMAND, 34 

IV.  HALSTEAD  Is  LET  INTO  A  SECRET, 52 

V.  A  HUNT  IN  THE  UNDER- WORLD, 59 

VI.  FACING  THE  YELLOW  BARRIER, 68 

VII.  DICK  TAKES  THE  EESCUE  BOAT  TRICK, 81 

VIII.  THE  EEAL  KENNEBEC  WAY, 94 

IX.  THE  CHASE  OF  THEIR  LIVES, 100 

X.  COMING  TO  CLOSE,  DANGEROUS  QUARTERS, Ill 

XI.  GASTON  GIDDINGS  MAKES  TROUBLE, 122 

XII.  TOO-WHOO-OO  !   Is  THE  WORD, 129 

XIII.  THE  CALL  FROM  OUT  OF  THE  FOG, 136 

XIV.  MR.  CRAGTHORPE  Is  MORE  THAN  TROUBLESOME,  . . .  146 
XV.  THE  MIDNIGHT  ALARM, 155 

XVI.  THE  FIRE  DRILL  IN  EARNEST, 164 

XVII.  CRAGTHORPE  INTRODUCES  His  KEAL  SELF, 172 

XVIII.  A  TRICK  MADE  FOR  Two, 183 

XIX.  TED  DYER,  SAILOR  BY  MARRIAGE, 196 

XX.  THE  FIND  IN  THE  FOREHCLD, 206 

XXI.  ON  A  BLIND  TRAIL  OF  THE  SEA, 213 

XXII.  A  STERN  LOOMS  UP  IN  THE  FOG, 222 

XXIII.  EOLLINGS'S  LAST  EUSE, 228 

XXIV.  CONCLUSION,   243 


The  Motor  Boat  Club  at 
The  Golden  Gate 


CHAPTER  I 

TOM    HALSTEAD,    KNIGHT    OF    THE    OVEBLASTD    MAIL 

"T"    FEEL  it  in  my  bones, "  announced  J©« 
Dawson,  quietly  though  positively. 

" That's  no  talk  for  an  engineer," 
jibed  Tom  Halstead.  "Tell  me,  instead,  that 
you  read  it  in  your  gauge. " 

"Oh,  laugh,  if  you  want  to,"  nodded  Dawson, 
showing  no  offense.  "But  you'll  find  that  I'm 
right.  You  know,  I  don't  often  make  predic- 
tions." 

"Yet,  this  time,  you  feel  that  something  dis- 
astrous is  going  to  happen  before  this  train  rolls 
out  on  the  mole  at  Oakland?  In  other  words, 
before  we  set  foot  in  San  Francisco?". 

"No,  I  don't  say  quite  that,"  objected  Joe, 
thoughtfully.  "There's  a  heap  of  the  naviga- 
tor about  you,  Tom  Halstead,  and  you're  pin- 
ning me  down  to  the  map  and  the  chronometer. 
I  won't  predict  quite  as  closely  as  that.  But, 
cither  before  we  reach  'Frisco,  or  mighty  »ooa 

7 


8  THE   MOTOR   BOAT   CLUB 

after  we  get  there,  something  is  going  to  hap- 
pen. ' ' 

"And  it's  going  to  be  a  disaster  1"  questioned 
Tom,  closely. 

"For  someone,  yes;  and  we're  going  to  be  in 
it,  at  great  risk." 

"Well,  it's  a  comfort  to  have  it  narrowed 
down  even  as  closely  as  that,"  smiled  Tom  Hal- 
stead.  "I  hope  it  isn't  going  to  be  another 
earthquake,  though. ' ' 

"No,"  agreed  Joe,  thoughtfully. 

"Oh,  well,  that  much  of  your  prediction  will 
comfort  the  people  of  San  Francisco,  anyway." 

"Now,  you're  laughing  at  me  again,"  grinned 
Joe,  good-naturedly. 

"No;  I'm  not,"  protested  Halstead,  but  belied 
himself  by  the  twinkle  in  his  eyes,  and  by  whist- 
ling softly  the  air  of  a  popular  song  that  the  boys 
had  heard  in  a  New  York  theatre  just  before 
leaving  for  the  West. 

At  the  present  moment  both  boys  were  sitting 
comfortably  facing  each  other  in  their  section  in 
a  sleeping  car  on  the  luxurious  Overland  Mail. 
It  was  early  forenoon.  They  had  left  Sacra- 
mento behind  some  time  before,  on  the  last- 
stretch  of  the  run  across  the  state  of  California. 

Joe  Dawson  was  riding  facing  forward.  Tom 
Halstead,  in  the  seat  opposite,  half  lolled  at  the 
window-ledge,  with  his  back  toward  the  engine. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  9 

Both  boys  had  slept  well  on  their  last  night  out 
from  San  Francisco.  Both  had  breakfasted 
heartily,  that  morning,  in  the  dining  car  now 
left  behind  at  the  state  capital.  The  next  thing 
that  would  interest  them,  so  far  as  they  could 
now  guess,  would  be  their  arrival  at  Oakland, 
and  the  subsequent  ferry  trip  that  would  land 
them  in  San  Francisco. 

It  may  seem  a  curious  fact  to  the  reader,  but 
neither  Tom  Halstead  nor  Joe  Dawson  knew  just 
what  new  phases  of  life  awaited  them  in  the  City 
by  the  Golden  Gate.  They  were  engaged  to 
enter  the  employment  of  a  man  who  owned  a 
motor  yacht.  The  owner  had  agreed  to  their 
own  terms  in  the  way  of  salary,  and  he  was  pay- 
ing all  their  expenses  on  this  luxurious  trip  west- 
ward. Moreover,  the  same  owner  had  engaged 
some  of  the  other  members  of  the  Motor  Boat 
Club  of  the  Kennebec,  as  will  soon  be  told. 

Eeaders  of  the  preceding  volumes  of  this  ser- 
ies are  already  well  acquainted  with  bright, 
energetic,  loyal  and  capable  Tom  Halstead,  who, 
from  the  start,  had  held  the  post  of  fleet  captain 
of  the  Motor  Boat  Club.  The  same  readers  are 
equally  familiar  with  the  career  of  Joe  Dawson, 
fleet  engineer  of  the  Club. 

As  narrated  in  l '  THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB  OF  THE 
KENNEBEC,  ' '  Tom  and  Joe  were  two  boys  of  sea- 
faring stock,  and  natives  of  Maine,  having  been 


10          THE   MOTOR  BOAT   CLUB 

born  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec  Eiver. 
That  first  volume  detailed  how  the  two  young 
men  served  aboard  the  "Sunbeam,"  the  motor 
yacht  of  a  Boston  broker,  and  how  the  boys 
aided  the  Government  officers  in  solving  the 
mystery  of  Smugglers'  Island.  Out  of  those 
adventures  arose  the  founding  of  the  Club,  with 
Tom  and  Joe  at  its  head. 

In  "THE  MOTOB  BOAT  CLUB  AT  NANTUCKET" 
the  two  boys  were  again  seen  to  great  advantage. 
There  they  had  some  most  lively  sea  adventures, 
all  centering  around  the  abduction  of  the  Dun- 
stan  heir.  Next,  as  told  in  "THE  MOTOK  BOAT 
CLUB  OFF  LONG  ISLAND,"  the  motor  boat  boys 
played  an  exciting  part  in  the  balking  of  a  great 
Wall  Street  conspiracy.  In  recognition  of  their 
services  at  this  time,  the  man  whom  they  most 
helped  presented  them  with  a  fifty-five  foot  cruis- 
ing motor  boat,  which  the  two  proud  young  own- 
ers named  the  1 1  Eestless. ' '  Afterwards  they  in- 
stalled a  wireless  telegraph  apparatus  on  the 
boat,  and  then  came  one  of  their  truly  famous 
cruises,  as  related  in  "THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB 
AND  THE  WIRELESS,  ' r  wherein  wireless  telegraphy 
was  employed  in  ferreting  out  one  of  the  great 
mysteries  of  the  sea. 

"THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB  IN  FLORIDA"  de- 
scribed the  sea  wanderings  of  Captain  Tom  and 
Engineer  Joe  in  the  Gulf  waters,  and  their  sub- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  11 

sequent  adventures  in  the  Everglades  and  at 
Tampa,  including  the  laying  of  the  Ghost  of  Al- 
ligator Swamp. 

From  time  to  time  other  seafaring  boys,  whose 
experience  aboard  motor  yachts  qualified  them, 
were  elected  members  of  the  Motor  Boat  Club, 
an  organization  which  now  boasted  some  forty 
members  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Several 
of  these  boys  had  made  themselves  barely  less 
famous  than  had  Halstead  and  Dawson. 

Broker  George  Prescott,  of  Boston,  their  first 
employer  and  founder  of  the  Club,  was  still  their 
staunch  friend.  So,  too,  in  scarcely  less  degree, 
was  Francis  Delavan,  a  Wall  Street  financier  to 
whom  Tom  and  Joe  had  rendered  most  valuable 
services. 

It  was  through  Mr.  Delavan  that  Halstead  and 
Dawson  had  secured  their  present  engagement, 
the  details  of  which  they  did  not  yet  know.  This 
engagement  had  come  just  as  the  young  men 
were  leaving  Florida  waters  in  January,  pre- 
paratory to  making  their  way  to  New  York,  near 
which  great  city  the  "Restless"  was  now  laid 
up,  out  of  commission  at  present,  though  as  sea- 
worthy a  boat  as  ever. 

Tom  had  been  allowed  to  engage  Jeff  Ean- 
dolph,  the  Florida  member  of  the  Club,  for  this 
new,  unknown  enterprise.  Jeff  was.  believed  to 
be  either  on  his  way,  or  already  in  San  Fran- 


12  THE   MOTOR  BOAT    CLUB 

cisco,  at  the  Palace  Hotel,  on  Market  Sreet, 
which,  was  to  be  the  meeting  place  of  the  motor 
boat  boys. 

Yet  there  were  other  old  friends  due  to  meet 
the  fleet  captain  and'  fleet  engineer.  Mr.  Delavan 
had  also  engaged,  by  wire,  Dick  Davis  and  Ab 
Perkins,  of  Maine,  now  back  from  a  famous  trip 
to  Brazil  as  told  in  ' '  THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB  AND 
THE  WIRELESS.  ' '  Jed  Prentiss,  a  Nantucket  mem- 
ber of  the  Club,  was  also  on  his  way  to  or  in  San 
Francisco  to  join  them,  thanks  to  Mr.  Prescott's 
interest.  How  Jed  joined  the  Club,  and  proved 
himself  more  than  worthy,  was  all  told  in  ' '  THE 
MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB  AT  NANTUCKET.  " 

The  name  of  the  San  Francisco  man  who  had 
engaged  six  members  of  the  Motor  Boat'  Club 
to  cross  the  continent  was  Joseph  Baldwin.  Be- 
yond this  the  boys  knew  nothing  of  him,  save  that 
Francis  Delavan  had  vouched  for  him.  That 
was  enough.  Not  even  the  name  of  Baldwin's 
craft  was  known  to  the  seafaring  boys  who  were 
crossing  the  continent. 

"I  wonder  if  Mr.  Baldwin  will  be  at  Oakland, 
to  meet  us ! "  asked  Joe,  as  the  train  sped  evenly, 
swiftly  along. 

' '  It  isn  >t  likely, ' '  replied  Tom.  '  '  He  has  told 
us  where  to  report.  I  fancy  he  considers  that 
enough. ' ' 

"A  man  might  get  a  boat's  crew  together  a 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  13 

good  deal  more  cheaply,"  mused  Joe,  aloud. 
"Our  fellows  that  Mr.  Baldwin  has  engaged  are 
all  top-notchers  in  the  way  of  salary.  With  such 
a  crew  it's  going  to  cost  our  man  a  good  deal  to 
keep  his  boat  running. ' ' 

"You  know  the  reputation  that  California  mil- 
lionaires have,  Joe,"  laughed  his  chum.  "It  is 
said  of  them  that  they'd  sooner  spend  money 
than  keep  it  drawing  interest." 

"Still,"  pondered  Joe  Dawson,  "I  don't  be- 
lieve California  people  like  to  pitch  money  out 
of  the  window  any  better  than  people  of  other 
sections  do." 

6 '  It  has  struck  me, ' '  Tom  went  on,  '  '  that  we  're 
engaged  by  a  man  who  is  running  a  racing  boat. 
If  that  is  so,  and  we  can  get  the  top  speed  out  of 
his  craft,  then  I  suppose  Mr.  Baldwin  wouldn't 
consider  the  matter  of  expense  at  all.  All  he 
wants,  in  that  case,  is  to  win  cups  and  build  a 
big  reputation  for  his  boat. ' ' 

"I  hope  it  is  a  racer,"  cried  Joe,  his  eyes  glist- 
ening. "Whew!  How  our  crowd,  pulling  to- 
gether in  team  work,  could  make  a  boat  ever- 
lastingly sprint  over  the  waves ! " 

The  car  in  which  the  two  boys  sat  was  the  last 
of  the  train.  It  had  an  observation  platform  at 
the  rear.  In  this  observation  compartment  the 
motor  boat  boys  had  spent  much  time  while  the 
train  was  rolling  along  through  the  highly  pic- 


14          THE   MOTOE  BOAT    CLUB 

turesque  scenery  of  the  Bocky  Mountains.  This 
morning,  however,  going  swiftly  past  sun-lit  sec- 
tions of  California,  over  a  nearly  level  road,  both 
young  travelers  were  content  to  remain  in  their 
seats  by  the  window. 

In  the  car  were  a  dozen  other  passengers. 
Only  one  other  besides  the  motor  boat  boys  was 
especially  young.  She  was  a  girl  of  about 
eighteen,  blond,  rather  plump  and  very  pretty. 
She  appeared  to  be  traveling  alone,  having 
boarded  the  train  at  Kansas  City.  Tom  and  Joe 
had  been  able  to  offer  her  a  few  travelers' 
courtesies,  which  had  been  graciously  accepted. 
Neither  young  man,  however,  knew  the  girl's 
name.  Both  motor  boat  boys  were  too  well  bred 
to  attempt  to  force  an  acquaintance. 

Just  now,  as  Tom  happened  to  lean  over  his 
seat  and  glance  down  the  aisle,  he  saw  that  this 
young  lady  was  in  the  observation  compartment. 
She  appeared  to  be  alone  there.  Something  in 
the  expression  on  her  face  made  her  seem  highly 
uneasy  about  something. 

"I  hope  she  isn't  in  any  trouble,"  murmured 
Halstead,  to  himself,  "and  that  she  isn't  going 
to  find  anything  unpleasant  at  the  end  of  her 
journey." 

The  next  time  he  glanced  down  the  aisle  Hal- 
etead  again  caught  a  glimpse  of  her  face. 

"By  Jove,  I  believe  she's  been  crying,  or  else 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE  15 

is  about  to  begin, "  muttered  the  young  captain. 
"I  wonder  if  it's  real  trouble,  or  just  something 
that  she  's  afraid  of. ' ' 

Then  Tom  made  haste  to  look  away,  lest  the 
young  lady  should  see  that  he  had  been  study- 
ing her  and  take  offense. 

"Look  at  the  roses, "  commented  Joe,  glanc- 
ing out  of  the  window  at  a  pretty  little  California 
village  through  which  the  train  was  passing  at 
somewhat  lessened  speed.  "Great  Scott,  there 
are  violets  growing  in  the  garden  we've  just 
passed.  February!  Think  of  the  deep  feet  of 
snow  on  either  bank  of  the  Kennebec  just  now !" 

"It's  the  land  of  roses  and  other  posies,  all 
right,"  agreed  Halstead,  himself  looking  out 
with  a  good  deal  of  interest  at  the  bright  scene 
under  the  soft  haze  of  the  California  winter 
day. 

"Say,  these  are  real  days!  This  beats 
Florida ! ' '  exclaimed  Joe,  enthusiastically. 

"When  it  doesn't  rain,"  remarked  the  prac- 
tical Halstead.  "You  know,  this  is  the  rainy 
season  in  California." 

"I  don't  care,"  contended  Joe.  "Even  on  a 
rainy  day  it  must  be  beautiful  in  this  fine  old 
state." 

"And  on  a  foggy  one,  also,"  laughed  Tom. 
"You  know,  at  this  time  of  the  year,  there  are 
likely  to  be  some  great  old  fogs  around  San 


16          THE   MOTOR  BOAT    CLUB 

Francisco  Bay.  I've  heard  that  it  takes  a  clever 
pilot  to  guess  correctly  whether  he's  landing  at 
San  Francisco  or  Oakland.'' 

'  *  Humph ! ' '  grunted  Joe. 

Dawson  turned,  looking  out  of  the  window  for 
some  time  without  speaking. 

"We're  getting  near  some  big  town,"  he  re- 
marked, at  last.  Then,  after  glancing  at  his 
watch:  "It  must  be  Oakland." 

"Yes,"  nodded  Tom.  "I  guess  we'll  soon  be 
making  our  stop  at  the  Sixteenth  Street  station. ' ' 

"Anything  special  about  that  station?" 

"It's  the  last  stop  before  we  run  out  onto  the 
mole  at  Oakland." 

The  train  had  now  begun  to  run,  at  greatly 
lessened  speed,  through  one  of  the  streets  of  the 
city.  Joe  found  less  to  interest  him.  He 
glanced  upward  at  the  rack,  toward  his  traveling 
bag  and  overcoat. 

"That  overcoat  seems  like  an  insult  to  the 
climate, ' '  he  remarked. 

"Don't  throw  it  away,"  advised  Tom  Hal- 
stead,  "until  you  see  whether  some  of  the  'Frisco 
nights  are  chilly.  I've  sort  of  an  idea  they 
will  be." 

"I  wonder  whether  we're  going  to  have  much 
time  ashore,  or  whether  it  will  be  all  spent  on  the 
water?"  suggested  Joe.  But  Tom,  of  course, 
didn't  know  the  answer. 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE  17 

' '  Sixteenth  Street  next  stop ! ' '  called  the  por- 
ter through  the  car. 

* i  Might  as  well  stretch  our  legs, ' ?  hinted  Tom, 
rising.  Joe  also  left  his  seat. 

As  several  of  the  passengers  in  the  car  were 
heading  toward  the  front  end,  the  motor  boat 
boys  started  for  the  observation  compartment  at 
the  rear  end. 

The  young  lady  was  still  standing  there.  It 
looked  as  though  she  intended  to  step  down  out- 
side as  soon  as  the  train  should  come  to  a  stop. 
Not  wishing  to  intrude,  Tom  Halstead  halted,  a 
few  feet  away,  Joe  doing  the  same. 

Hardly  had  the  train  stopped  when  a  porter 
opened  the  door  of  the  observation  compartment. 
The  young  lady  quickly  descended,  the  boys  fol- 
lowing. The  young  lady  remained  close  to  the 
steps,  glancing  about  her.  Lifting  their  hats, 
Tom  and  Joe  stepped  past  her,  mingling  in  the 
throng  at  the  station.  There  wasn't  much  here 
to  see,  but  it  was  a  relief  to  be  quit  of  the  train 
for  a  minute  or  two. 

"There's  the  engine  bell  ringing, "  nudged 
Joe,  at  last.  "We  may  as  well  hustle  back." 

As  the  two  motor  boat  boys  turned  once  more, 
Tom  saw  the  young  woman  standing  beside  the 
rear  steps,  one  hand  holding  to  the  brass  rail. 
She  appeared  rather  frightened.  Before  her, 
talking  rapidly,  was  a  man  of  perhaps  thirty 

at—The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


18          THE   MOTOR  BOAT    CLUB 

years  of  age  and  some  five  feet  nine  inches  in 
height.  On  his  smooth-shaven,  dark  face  rested 
an  ugly,  black  look.  Something  that  the  man 
said  just  as  Tom  glanced  that  way  caused  the 
girl  to  wince  and  grow  paler. 

"Why,  that  fellow  has  been  on  the  train, 
though  not  in  our  car,  for  the  last  two  days," 
occurred  to  Halstead,  swiftly.  "And  now  I  re- 
member I  saw  the  young  lady  talking  to  him  back 
at  Battle  Mountain.  Jove !  but  she  seems  afraid 
of  him.  There,  she's  trying  to  leave  him,  and 
he  has  caught  at  her  sleeve  to  hold  her.  Con- 
found the  ugly  look  in  his  eyes !  I  wish  she  were 
my  sister  for  five  minutes ! ' ' 

Almost  unconsciously,  in  his  indignation,  Cap- 
tain Tom  increased  his  pace.  Joe,  looking  in 
another  direction,  did  not  at  once  perceive  this, 
and  so  fell  a  bit  behind. 

"I'm  not  going  to  listen  to  you  any  longer," 
cried  the  young  woman,  in  a  voice  that  sounded 
tearful,  though  she  was  resolutely  keeping  the 
tears  back  out  of  her  eyes.  "You  are  talking 
like  a  coward ! ' ' 

"Pardon  me,"  said  Captain  Tom,  rather 
stiffly,  brushing  past  the  young  man.  The  girl 
edged  to  give  the  motor  boat  boy  room  on  the 
steps,  and,  as  he  passed  her,  started  to  follow 
him  up  into  the  car. 

"You're  not  going  to  leave  me  in  that  fash- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  19 

ion,"  snapped  the  dark  young  man,  angrily; 
"See  here " 

Again  he  caught  at  the  girl's  sleeve,  after 
leaping  up  onto  the  lowest  step. 

"Let  me  go,"  commanded  the  girl,  indig- 
nantly. 

"Not  until " 

She  wrenched  herself  free,  then  bounded  after 
Halstead. 

"Don't  let  him  come  into  the  car,"  begged 
the  girl. 

"Out  of  my  way,  young  fellow,"  ordered  the 
dark  man,  gaining  the  second  step  up. 

"Is  this  man  annoying  you?"  asked  Tom,  in 
a  friendly  tone  of  the  girl,  though  he  turned  a 
cool,  hostile  stare  upon  the  young  man. 

"Yes,  he  is,"  the  young  woman  answered. 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  boy,"  commanded  the 
man,  reaching  out  a  hand. 

Tom  Halstead 's  right  hand  closed  instantly. 
His  fist  shot  out,  landing  on  the  fellow's  neck. 
That  persecutor  fell  back,  missed  his  footing,  and 
went  sprawling  to  the  station  platform.  The 
girl  had  started  to  dart  into  the  car,  but  now  she 
turned,  watching  with  fearful  eyes. 

"Oh,  don't  let  him  hurt  you!"  she  cried  to 
Tom. 

"Thank  you,"  responded  the  young  captain, 
dryly;  "I  don't  believe  he  will." 


20  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

The  train  was  beginning  to  move  as  the  man 
fell  sprawling  on  the  platform.  Joe,  who  had 
seen  the  blow  struck,  darted  in,  dragging  the  fel- 
low swiftly  to  his  feet. 

"You'll  have  to  hustle,  mister,  if  you're  going 
to  get  your  car  forward, ' '  Joe  advised  him. 

"This  car  is  the  one  I "  began  the  man. 

But  Joe  coolly  swung  in  ahead  of  him,  elbow- 
ing the  fellow  out  of  the  way.  The  next  mo- 
ment the  porter,  grinning,  reached  over  with  the 
key  and  locked  the  door  of  the  car,  which  Dawson 
had  closed. 

Looking  the  picture  of  rage,  the  man  darted 
swiftly  down  the  platform.  The  train  was  now 
moving  too  rapidly,  however,  for  the  stranger 
to  get  aboard,  and  the  last  car  rolled  by  him  as 
he  stood,  baffled,  on  the  platform. 

"I — I  don't  know  how  to  thank  you  both," 
faltered  the  girl. 

"I  assure  you  it  didn't  even  put  us  to  any  in- 
convenience," smiled  Captain  Tom. 

"But — oh!  I  hope  you  won't  meet  him  in 
San  Francisco, ' '  cried  the  girl,  in  sudden  alarm. 
i '  He 's  dangerous,  ugly,  vengeful ! ' ' 

"We've  met  such  men  before,"  laughed  Cap- 
tain Tom,  quietly.  "And  yet well,  we're 

here." 

"But  you  don't  know  that  man!"  shuddered 
the  girl. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  21 

"That  we  don't  is  something  to  brag  about,  I 
reckon, ' '  smiled  Joe. 

"If  you  ever  do  come  face  to  face  with  him, 
or  catch  him,  anywhere,  watching  you,  beware 
of  him ! ' '  begged  the  young  lady,  earnestly.  ' '  He 
never  forgives  anything — that  wretch ! ' ' 

"Are  you  uneasy  over  the  remainder  of  your 
journey!"  asked  Tom,  politely.  "Will  you  feel 
safer  for  escort?" 

"Oh,  I  shall  be  all  right,  now,"  replied  the 
girl,  with  a  grateful  smile,  though  her  cheeks 
were  still  pallid.  *  *  He  is  no  longer  on  the  train. ' ' 

"Command  us,  if  you  will,"  begged  Captain 
Tom  Halstead,  gallantly.  He  and  Joe  Dawson 
lifted  their  hats  courteously,  then  passed  on  to 
their  own  section. 

"One  of  the  little  dramas  of  life  that  are  be- 
ing enacted  all  around  us,"  muttered  Halstead. 

"I  wouldn't  have  minded  seeing  that  one 
through, ' '  returned  Joe. 

Neither  boy,  at  that  moment,  suspected  that 
they  would  yet  "see  it  through." 


22    THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB 
CHAPTEE  II 

HAZING,    M.    B.    C.    K.    STYLE 

AT  the  ferry  slip  on  the  San  Francisco  side 
the  two  motor  boat  boys  saw  the  young 
woman  again. 

A  big,  broad-shouldered,  well-dressed,  whole- 
some looking  young  man  of  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  came  forward 
eagerly,  hat  in  hand,  to  meet  her. 

"She's  all  right,  now,"  declared  Joe,  with 
satisfaction.  "Gracious!  That  husky  young 
fellow  could  eat  up  two  or  three  muckers  like  the 
one  you  punched,  Tom. ' ' 

"Yes ;  our  young  lady  of  the  journey  is  surely 
all  right,"  nodded  Halstead,  delighted  with  what 
he  had  seen.  ' ' So  come  along,  Joe.  We'll  prob- 
ably never  see  any  of  that  party  again. ' ' 

Through  a  throng  of  eager  cabmen  the  two 
young  motor  boat  boys  plodded  sturdily.  Neither 
had  ever  been  in  San  Francisco  before,  but  they 
knew  that  the  ferry  came  in  at  the  foot  of  Market 
Street,  and  that  the  Palace  Hotel  was  but  a  few 
blocks  from  the  water-front  on  the  same  great 
artery  of  traffic. 

'  '  Might  as  well  walk  up,  and  get  a  little  bit  of 
a  look  at  the  town, ' '  proposed  Halstead. 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE  23 

" Which  side  of  the  street  is  the  Palace  on?" 
queried  Joe. 

"East." 

"Then  we'll  cross  over.  I  don't  believe  we 
can  miss  it." 

It  was  a  bustling  crowd  through  which  the  boys 
steered  their  way.  The  man  on  the  San  Fran- 
cisco  sidewalk  who  is  under  eighty  years  of  age 
is  engaged  in  making  his  fortune,  and  has  no 
time  to  lose.  After  he  has  made  it,  he  buys  an 
automobile,  and  has  comparatively  little  need  of 
a  sidewalk. 

Men  from  every  country  in  Europe  and  the 
Orient 'passed  them.  There  was,  of  course,  a 
large  sprinkling  of  native  Americans,  yet  even 
the  chance  passer  knew  that  he  was  moving 
through  a  throng  recruited  from  the  four  quar- 
ters of  the  world. 

To  Tom  the  walk  ended  all  too  soon.  How- 
ever, they  were  bent  on  business,  not  pleasure, 
so  they  turned  in  briskly  through  the  main  en- 
trance of  the  Palace  Hotel  as  soon  as  a  police- 
man had  pointed  it  out  to  them. 

Captain  Tom  Halstead  stepped  to  the  desk, 
picking  up  a  pen  to  register.  "Are  Davis,  Per- 
kins, Prentiss  and  Randolph  here  ahead  of  us  1 " 
queried  Halstead,  as  soon  as  he  had  written  his 
name  and  his  chum 's. 

' l  All  of  'em, ' '  smiled  the  clerk,  after  glancing 


24          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

at  the  entry  on  the  hotel  register.  "  Davis,  who 
got  here  first,  with  Perkins,  engaged  rooms  close 
together  for  the  whole  party.  Front !  I'll  have 
you  shown  right  up,  Captain  Halstead." 

The  colored  boy  in  blue  uniform  and  brass 
buttons  confiscated  the  bags  and  overcoats  of 
the  two  young  travelers,  leading  the  way  to  the 
elevator.  That  bell-boy  turned  his  head  to  con- 
ceal a  grin  that  illumined  his  face. 

1 '  So  our  friends  are  all  here  ahead  of  us,  and 
have  everything  ready  ?"  remarked  young 
Dawson. 

The  bell-boy,  his  head  still  turned  away, 
seemed  to  be  choking. 

"I  wonder  if  they've  seen  Mr.  Baldwin,  or 
heard  from  him?"  mused  Tom,  aloud. 

"Bight  dis  way,  sah,"  begged  the  bell-boy, 
stepping  out  of  the  elevator  ahead  of  them  at  the 
third  floor. 

He  led  them  down  a  long  corridor,  turned 
into  another  corridor,  then  halted  before  a  door. 
That  bell-boy  gave  three  distinct  knocks;  a 
pause,  then  two  more  knocks. 

"I  reckon  yo'  can  go  right  in,  sah,"  announced 
the  bell-boy,  dropping  some  of  his  burden  in 
order  to  throw  the  door  open. 

Utterly  unsuspicious,  Tom  and  Joe  passed 
through  the  doorway.  The  instant  they  had 
done  so,  the  bell-boy  tossed  their  bags  and  coats 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  25 

in  after  them,  yanked  the  door  shut  and  fled, 
chuckling. 

"Here  they  come!  Welcome!"  roared  Dick 
Davis 's  deep,  hearty  voice. 

A  short  hallway  led  f  ^om  the  door  to  the  room 
proper.  As  Tom  Halstead  passed  over  the  in- 
ner threshold  a  pair  of  arms  reached  out  from 
either  side,  yanking  him  into  the  room  out  of 
Joe  ?s  sight.  Dawson  leaped  after  his  chum,  only 
to  be  similarly  seized. 

Then  it  snowed !  At  least,  for  a  brief  instant, 
that  was  what  the  victims  thought. 

Tom  was  neatly,  ruthlessly  tripped,  being  sent 
sprawling  to  the  floor,  while  Ab  Perkins,  snatch- 
ing up  a  bolster,  which  he  had  ripped  open,  shook 
all  the  fine,  downy  feathers  over  him.  They 
sifted  down  the  young  captain's  neck;  they  ob- 
scured his  vision ;  some  of  the  small  feathers  fell 
into  his  mouth.  He  fell  to  spitting  them  out  with 
vigor,  even  before  he  tried  to  get  up. 

Nor  did  Joe  Dawson  fare  any  better.  If  any- 
thing, he  was  rather  more  roughly  handled  by 
Jed  Prentiss  and  Jeff  Randolph. 

1 '  Now,  roll  'em ! ' '  roared  Dick  Davis. 

Before  either  of  the  newcomers  could  rise  to 
his  feet  they  were  rolled  together  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor.  Ab  lifted  the  mattress  from  the 
bed,  plumping  it  down  over  the  two  victims. 
Then  all  four  of  the  gleeful  assailants  threw 


26          THE    MOTOR  BOAT    CLUB 

themselves  across  the  mattress,  shoving  it  over 
the  floor,  using  Tom  and  Joe,  underneath,  for 
rollers. 

And,  over  it  all,  rose  the  famous  club  yell : 

"M.  B.  C.  K.!  M.  B.  C.  K!  Motor  Boat 
Club!  Wow!" 

"Oh,  but  we're  glad  to  see  'em!"  yelled  Dick 
Davis,  in  his  deepest  tones.  1 1  Good  old  chums ! 
Keep  up  the  welcome,  fellows ! ' ' 

From  under  the  mattress  Tom  Halstead  man- 
aged to  make  himself  heard,  though  his  voice 
sounded  muffled  indeed. 

"Help!"  he  roared.  "Turn  out  the  port 
watch !  Mutiny ! ' ' 

' l  Port  watch,  ahoy !  Eoll  up  on  deck,  you  lub- 
bers!" roared  Ab  Perkins.  "Cap'n  wants 
you!" 

At  that  Jed  and  Jeff  left  the  mattress,  dart- 
ing to  where  Tom 's  and  Joe 's  traveling  bags  lay. 
These  they  quickly  opened,  dumping  all  the  con- 
tents on  the  floor. 

"All  hands  to  quell  mutiny!"  yelled  Jed  Pren- 
tiss.  Dick  Davis  and  Ab  Perkins  joined  them 
on  the  jump. 

That  gave  Tom  and  Joe,  both  very  red-faced 
and  much  winded,  a  chance  to  crawl  out  from 
under  the  mattress. 

Yet  no  sooner  did  they  show  their  astonished 
faces  than  all  four  of  the  first-comers  began  to 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  27 

pelt  them  with  the  articles  dumped  from  the 
traveling  bags. 

Slippers  flew  straight  and  true,  landing  with 
swats.  Hair  brushes,  tooth-brushes,  cakes  of 
soap,  boxes  of  tooth-powder  and  numerous  other 
articles  filled  the  air,  a  veritable  cyclone  with 
the  fleet  captain  and  the  fleet  engineer  in  the  mid- 
dle of  it. 

"Cut  it!"  commanded  Tom  Halstead,  sternly. 
"Oh,  if  I  had  my  revolver  and  handcuffs  and 
leg-irons  here.  This  is  the  last  time  I'll  ever  go 
on  deck  without  'em.  But  cut  it — anyway ! ' ' 

Dick  Davis,  having  thrown  the  last  missile 
that  came  to  hand,  and  having  pitched  Hal- 
stead's  overcoat  up  in  the  air  so  that  it  now 
lay  hanging  from  the  chandelier,  suddenly 
straightened  up,  looking  very  grave  as  he 
saluted  and  roared  out : 

"Aye,  aye,  sir!" 

At  that  the  other  three  disturbers  of  the  peace 
lined  up  with  Dick,  all  saluting. 

"What's  the  meaning  of  all  this  riot?"  in- 
sisted Halstead,  trying  to  keep  back  the  grin 
that  struggled  to  his  face. 

"After  not  having  seen  each  other  for  all 
these  moons, ' '  demanded  Davis,  in  a  hurt  voice, 
"can't  we  do  anything  to  show  you  how  ding- 
whanged  glad  we  are  to  behold  you  two  once 
more ! ' ' 


28          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Your  joy  takes  a  strange  turn/'  grimaced 
Captain  Tom. 

"I  prefer  people  who  put  their  welcome  in 
writing/'  retorted  Joe. 

At  that  Ab  Perkins,  with  a  whoop,  made  for 
a  table.  From  it  he  snatched  up  a  cork,  one 
end  of  which  had  been  burned  to  a  char. 

' i  Come  on,  then,  fellows, ' '  proposed  Ab  Perk- 
ins, gleefully;  "we'll  write  our  welcome  on 
Joe's  face." 

"Will  you,  though!"  demanded  Dawson, 
crouching  low,  as  though  for  a  football  tackle. 
He  caught  Ab,  and  rising  with  that  boisterous 
youth,  toppled  him  over.  Ab  Perkins  went 
sprawling;  fortunately  for  him  he  landed 
across  the  mattress. 

"Hold  on!'  expostulated  Tom  Halstead. 
"The  reception  committee  is  excused — fired — 
bounced,  in  fact.  Now,  stop  all  this  monkey- 
business,  and  let's  get  down  to  trade  topics. 
But,  first  of  all- 
Tom  paused  to  spit  out  two  or  three  frag- 
ments of  down  feathers.  Then  he  crossed  to 
where  the  water  pitcher  stood  on  a  tray. 
Pouring  out  a  glass  of  water,  Halstead  took  a 
mouthful,  while  the  late  mutineers  looked  on 
expectantly. 

"0-oh!  Ugh!  Waugh!  Wow!"  sputtered 
Tom,  expelling  his  mouthful  into  a  waste-water 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  29 

jar  beside  the  wash-stand.  "That  water's 
salt!" 

"Well,  what  of  it,  you  bo 'sun's  mate  of  a 
lobster  trap!"  demanded  Ab  Perkins,  aggres- 
sively. "Is  it  the  first  time  you've  ever  hit  up 
against  salt  water?" 

"Now,  see  here,  fellows,"  grinned  Halstead, 
looking  around  at  the  impish  faces  of  the  first- 
comers,  "this  is  all  right.  We  know  how  glad 
you  are  to  see  us.  Your  pleasure  is  far  greater 
than  we  had  ever  dared  to  hope -" 

"Oh,  we  can  show  more  pleasure!"  proposed 
Dick. 

"Do  it  at  your  personal  risk,  then!"  defied 
the  young  captain,  arming  himself  with  the 
water  pitcher.  "Now,  then,  will  you  all  be 
quiet?" 

"Oh,  aye!"  promised  young  Davis,  with  a 
sudden  assumption  of  meekness. 

"I  trust  you — trust  you  all  to  the  death," 
affirmed  Tom,  grimly.  "But  I'm  going  to  keep 
hold  of  the  water  pitcher  just  the  same!" 

"This  deck  doesn't  look  ship-shape,  does  it?" 
demanded  Dick  Davis,  glancing  about  him. 
"Hadn't  we  better  change  craft?  Wait  here 
a  moment." 

Stepping  to  the  push-button,  he  pressed 
twice,  for  the  porter.  Tom  Halstead  remained 
on  guard,  armed  as  before,  and'  Joe  keeping 


30          THE   MOTOR   BOAT   CLUB 

rather  close  to  him,  until  the  porter  knocked  at 
the  door. 

1 1  See  here,  my  friend, ' '  remarked  Dick,  hold- 
ing out  a  dollar  bill  to  the  porter,  "  there  has 
been  a  ship-wreck  here." 

"It  looks  like  it,  sir,"  grinned  the  porter, 
pocketing  the  money.  "What '11  you  have, 
sir!" 

"Find  the  chambermaid  that  belongs  on  this 
floor,"  begged  Dick,  "and  bring  her  here." 

The  porter  was  soon  back  with  the  chamber- 
maid, who  also  received  a  dollar  bill  from 
young  Davis. 

"Now,  you  two  try  some  team-work,  please," 
begged  Dick  Davis,  "and  see  whether  you  can 
make  this  place  look  neat  enough  to  be  a  cap- 
tain's cabin.  Gentlemen  of  the  Motor  Boat 
Club,  will  you  adjourn  to  the  costly  quarters 
that  Ab  and  myself  consider  almost  good 
enough  for  us?" 

'   Tom  Halstead  laid  down  the  water  pitcher 
and  passed  out  of  the  room  last  of  all. 

"I  reckon  you'd  better  go  into  the  other 
room  first,  Joe,  and  let  me  bring  up  the  rear," 
called  Tom,  grimly.  "Then  we  can  watch,  from 
both  ends  of  the  line,  for  any  new  tricks." 

Dick  Davis  produced  a  key,  admitting  all 
hands  to  the  adjoining  room. 

"Now,  be  seated,"  proposed  Davis,  in  his 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  31 

most  hospitable  tone.  The  club  members  found 
chairs. 

"Have  you  seen  Mr.  Baldwin?"  inquired 
Captain  Tom. 

"No;  but  we've  sent  him  word,"  Ab  re- 
plied. "Mr.  Baldwin  has  offices  in  the  Chron- 
icle Building." 

"Is  that  near?"  queried  Halstead. 

' i  Only  a  few  hawser  lengths  from  here,  on  the 
other  side  of  Market  Street,"  put  in  Jed  Pren- 
tiss.  "Come  here  to  the  window.  There's  the 
Chronicle  Building  over  yonder." 

"Mr.  Baldwin  has  a  telephone,  of  course?" 
suggested  Captain  Tom. 

"Yes;   9378  Market." 

"I  can  tell  him  we're  here,  then,"  murmured 
Tom,  crossing  the  room  to  where  a  telephone 
apparatus  rested  against  the  wall. 

' '  Don 't, ' '  prompted  Dick.  ' '  Mr.  Baldwin  has 
sent  his  orders.  You  can  'phone  him  between 
three  and  three-thirty  to-day.  Mustn't  bother 
him  at  any  other  time." 

"That's  right,  is  it?"  demanded  Halstead, 
looking  half-suspiciously  at  Davis. 

"Quite  right,"  nodded  the  latter  youth, 
gravely.  Dick  was  older  than  the  others,  be- 
ing nineteen,  as  against  a  general  average  of 
sixteen  years  for  the  other  boys.  Dick  was  dif- 
ferent in  another  respect.  While  the  other  five 


32  THE    MOTOR    BOAT    CLUB 

boys  followed  motor  boating  as  a  means  of  live- 
lihood, depending  upon  their  earnings,  young 
Davis,  the  son  of  a  ship-builder  of  Bath,  Maine, 
was  at  all  times  well  supplied  with  money. 
Dick's  outline  for  the  future  included  a  possible 
college  course,  and  then  breaking  into  the  ship- 
building business  with  his  father.  It  was  not 
yet  quite  decided  whether  young  Davis  should 
omit  the  college  part  of  the  plan.  In  the  mean- 
time, the  elder  Davis  believed  that  an  active 
membership  in  the  Motor  Boat  Club  would  be 
the  best  possible  training  to  fit  his  son  for  a 
position  in  the  ship-yard. 

"Well,  if  those  are  the  instructions,  then," 
replied  Captain  Tom,  returning  to  his  chair, 
"we'll  wait  until  a  few  minutes  after  three." 

"And  now  it's  half -past  eleven,"  said  Jed, 
consulting  his  watch.  "Luncheon  will  not  be 
served  until  one.  We  can  wait  here  as  well  as 
anywhere.  Say,  fellows,  I'm  just  crazy  to  hear 
some  good  old  yarns  of  what  you  others  have 
been  through." 

With  that,  yarn-spinning  became  the  order  of 
the  day.  The  young  men  were  still  at  it  when 
they  went  down  to  the  gorgeous  dining  room 
of  the  Palace  Hotel.  The  air  about  their  table 
was  thick  with  yarns  all  through  the  meal. 

While  they  sat  around  the  table,  absorbed  in 
one  another's  stories,  a  dark-visaged,  well- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  33 

dressed  man  of  thirty  started  to  enter  the  dining 
room.  Just  at  the  threshold,  however,  he 
paused,  for  his  glance  had  alighted  on  a  profile 
view  of  Captain  Tom  Halstead  at  one  of  the 
tables  in  the  center  of  the  dining  room. 

"That's  the  cub  who  struck  me  this  morn- 
ing/' muttered  the  dark-faced  one,  drawing 
back.  "I  want  to  know  who  he  is.  I  want  to 
place  him — I  want  to  meet  him  and  settle  the 
account  for  that  blow  and  the  disappointment 
it  brought  about!" 

Tom  Halstead  turned  around,  a  moment  later, 
but  he  did  not  see  the  man  he  had  knocked  from 
the  train  that  morning  at  the  Sixteenth  Street 
station  in  Oakland.  That  worthy  had  drawn 
quickly  back  out  of  sight,  and  was  now  looking 
about  for  some  hotel  employe  to  question. 

Ten  minutes  later  he  of  the  dark  visage  had 
all  the  information  he  felt  he  needed. 

"Tom  Halstead?  So  that's  your  name?" 
snarled  the  stranger,  as  he  started  for  the  street 
entrance.  "And  you're  employed  by  Baldwin 
— could  anything  be  more  favorable  to  our 
meeting  again,  eh?"  The  stranger  smiled 
darkly,  meaningly,  as  he  pronounced  the  name 
of  Baldwin. 

Luncheon  over,  the  yarning  motor  boat  boys 
embarked  in  the  elevator.  This  time  they  went 
direct  to  the  room  assigned  to  Tom  and  Joe. 

3—  The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


34          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

The  trunks  of  these  two  young  men  had  arrived, 
and  now  rested  in  the  room. 

Once  more  the  yarning  went  on,  until  Captain 
Tom  checked  it  at  exactly-  two  minutes  past 
three  o'clock. 


I 


CHAPTER   HI 

CAPTAIN   TOM'S   NEW    COMMAND 

««TT'S  time  for  Mr.  Baldwin  to  hear  from  us, 
now,"  announced  the  young  skipper,  ris- 
ing and  crossing  to  the  room-telephone. 
He  gave  the  number,  waiting  briefly. 

" Hello,"  sounded  a  voice  in  the  receiver. 

"Hello,"  returned  Tom,  quietly.  "Is  this 
Mr.  Baldwin?" 

"No;   wait  a  moment.    I'll  connect  you." 

"Hello,"  came,  an  instant  later. 

"Hello.    Mr.  Baldwin?" 

"Yes." 

"I  am  Captain  Tom  Halstead,  here  at  the 
Palace  Hotel,  awaiting  your  orders." 

'"Is  Dabson  with  you?" 

"Dawson,  sir,"  Tom  corrected.  "Yes;  Daw- 
son  is  with  me."  . 

"Then  your  whole  crew  is  on  hand?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Good!     Well,   as   the  finishers   are   about 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  35 

through  with  their  repair  work  on  my  boat  we 
shall  be  ready  to  get  you  aboard  without  de- 
lay." 

"May  I  ask,  sir,  how  big  a  boat " 

"Captain,  be  at  my  office,  all  of  you  in  uni- 
form, at  four  o'clock  exactly. " 

"Very  good.,  sir.    Four  o 'clock. " 

'  *  Captain  Halstead,  punctuality  is  one  of  my 
failings, "  warned  Joseph  Baldwin's  voice. 

"It's  one  of  my  studies,  Mr.  Baldwin." 

"Then,  at  four  o'clock?" 

"Four  o'clock,  sharp,  sir!" 

"Good-bye." 

Ting-ling-ling!     Tom  hung  up  the  receiver. 

"Well,"  came  an  eager  chorus.  "What  are 
we  going  to  do  I" 

<  <  y/e  're  going  to  get  into  our  club  sailing  uni- 
forms," smiled  Captain  Tom,  "and  we're  to  be 
at  Mr.  Baldwin's  office  at  four  o'clock  to  the 
minute. ' ' 

"What  sort  of  a  boat " 

"Cruising  or  racing " 

"Coasting  or  sea-voy " 

"You'll  all  of  you  have  to  cut  out  the  ques- 
tions," laughed  Tom  Halstead.  "I've  told 
you  every  blessed  thing  I've  just  learned  over 
the  'phone.  Fellows,  I  think  our  Mr.  Baldwin 
is  stingy " 

"Stingy?"  broke  in  Ab  Perkins,  with  fine 


36          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

scorn.  "And  paying  every  one  of  us  first-class 
salaries ! ' ' 

"Stingy  of  words/'  finished  Captain  Tom, 
calmly.  "If  our  new  employer  keeps  on  as  he 
has  begun,  we  won't  know  anything  he  means 
to  do  until  the  time  comes  to  do  it.  Then  he'll 
give  his  complete  orders  in  from  six  to  eight 
words.  That's  the  way  it  looks.  Now,  for  your 
uniforms.  Come  along,  Joe,  and  we'll  get  into 
ours.  Mr.  Baldwin,  I  omitted  to  tell  you,  did 
inform  me " 

Captain  Tom  paused,  looking  mysterious. 

"Told  you  what?"  chorused  Dick,  Ab  and 
Jed,  eagerly. 

"That  he's  extremely  partial  to  people  who 
are  punctual  to  the  minute,"  finished  Tom  Hal- 
stead,  making  a  sign  that  brought  Joe  along  in 
his  trail. 

Sailors  are  accustomed  to  quick  dressing,  as 
they  are  to  quick  work  of  all  sorts.  Hence  the 
six  motor  boat  boys,  all  looking  decidedly  neat 
and  important  in  their  uniforms  and  visored 
caps,  were  soon  on  their  way  to  the  elevator 
shaft.  Soon  afterwards  they  stepped  from  the 
Palace  entrance  to  the  street,  making  for  the 
other  side  of  Market  Street  at  the  first  crossing. 

More  than  one  swift  pedestrian  paused  long 
enough  to  send  a  look  back  after  these  six  trim, 
almost  martial-looking  young  men,  who  walked 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE  37 

in  pairs  and  carried  themselves  like  graduates 
of  the  Naval  Academy. 

It  was  just  five  minutes  before  four  o'clock 
when  the  sextette  halted  outside  the  Chronicle 
Building. 

"A  couple  of  minutes  to  breathe, "  announced 
Halstead,  watch  in  hand.  Presently,  he 
marched  them  into  the  corridor.  Here,  after 
a  short  wait,  they  stepped  into  one  of  the  sev- 
eral elevators,  leaving  it  a  few  floors  from  the 
street. 

1  i  Sixty  seconds  yet  to  spare, ' '  whispered  Cap- 
tain Tom,  smilingly,  holding  up  his  watch. 

Precisely  at  the  dot  of  four  o'clock  the  six 
motor  boat  boys  filed  in  at  the  door  of  the  Bald- 
win offices,  after  Halstead  had  turned  the  knob. 

In  the  outer  office  were  several  clerks,  behind 
a  railing.  An  office  boy  sat  at  a  desk  close  by 
the  gate  of  the  railing. 

"Mr.  Baldwin  expects  us  at  four,"  stated 
Tom  to  the  boy.  *  *  Will  you  please  tell  him  that 
Captain  Halstead  and  party  are  here?" 

The  boy  disappeared.  When  he  returned  a 
briskly-moving  man  of  fifty  was  at  his  heels. 
It  was  Joseph  Baldwin,  one  of  the  rich  men  of 
the  Pacific  Coast,  and  one  of  its  most  daring 
promoters.  He  was  a  man  who  acted,  ordi- 
narily, as  though  the  day  were  but  five  minutes 
long  and  crowded  with  business.  Mr.  Baldwin 


38          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

looked  like  a  prosperous  business  man,  though 
there  was  nothing  foppish  in  his  attire. 

"Captain  Halstead?"  he  demanded,  holding 
out  a  hand.  The  act  was  gracious  enough, 
though  hurried.  In  less  than  a  minute  Tom 
had  presented  his  friends  and  all  had  been 
through  the  handshake. 

Back  of  Mr.  Baldwin  stood  a  clerk,  holding 
his  employer's  hat. 

"I'm  off  for  the  day,  Johnson,"  he  an- 
nounced. "Is  the  transportation  at  the  door?" 

"Yes,  sir.  I  just  looked  out  of  the  window. 
Your  transportation  is  ready." 

"Come  along,  Captain  Halstead  and  gentle- 
men," directed  Mr.  Baldwin. 

Though  he  led  them  swiftly,  another  clerk 
had  slipped  out  ahead  of  them,  and  now  stood 
by  the  elevator  shaft.  A  car  was  just  stopping 
at  the  floor.  Down  the  party  whizzed.  Mr. 
Baldwin  led  the  boys  to  a  street  door,  outside 
of  which  two  automobile  touring  cars  stood. 

"Captain,  I  want  you  and  Dawson  in  the  car 
with  me.  Let  your  friends  follow  in  the  other. ' ' 

Two  tonneau  doors  closed  with  bangs.  Off 
whizzed  the  cars.  Speed  laws  did  not  appear 
to  be  made  for  the  concern  of  a  man  like  Joseph 
Baldwin.  It  seemed  as  though  the  cars  had 
barely  started  when  they  ran  out  onto  a  dock 
not  much  to  the  westward  of  the  ferry  houses. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  39 

A  man  in  plain  blue  uniform  and  visored  cap, 
wearing  the  insignia  of  a  quartermaster,  stood 
at  the  far  end  of  the  dock.  He  saluted  as  soon 
as  he  espied  Joseph  Baldwin  hastening  toward 
him. 

"I  see  you're  on  time,  Bickson." 

"Yes,  sir." 

By  this  time  Mr.  Baldwin  was  going  down  a 
short  flight  of  steps  to  a  landing  stage.  There 
lay  moored  a  trim-looking  sixteen-foot  power 
tender. 

"Fall  aboard,"  briefly  directed  Mr.  Baldwin, 
and  the  motor  boat  boys,  rather  enjoying  this 
systematized  bustle,  obeyed. 

Bickson,  without  waiting  for  orders,  cast  off, 
started  the  motor  and  sent  the  boat  gliding  out 
into  the  stream. 

"Quite  a  motor  yacht  that  carries  a  quarter- 
master," observed  Captain  Halstead,  with  a 
smile. 

"I  carry  three,"  rejoined  Mr.  Baldwin, 
thrusting  a  cigar  into  his  mouth  and  lighting 
it  with  a  "blazer"  match. 

In  and  out  among  the  shipping  the  tender 
glided.  Then,  at  last,  Captain  Tom  caught  sight 
of  a  graceful  craft  some  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  long.  She  looked  like  a  miniature  liner. 

"I  wonder  if  I'll  ever  command  a  handsome 
craft  like  that  1 ' ?  thought  the  young  motor  boat 


40          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

skipper,  with  a  brief  pang  of  envy.  "Jove! 
what  a  boat!" 

The  next  thing  the  motor  boat  boys  knew 
they  were  running  up  alongside  this  hundred- 
and-twenty-footer.  A  young  man  of  twenty- 
five  or  twenty-six,  whose  uniform  proclaimed 
him  to  be  a  watch  officer,  stood  at  the  top  of  a 
side  gangway. 

"This  can't  be  the  boat — such  a  beauty!" 
gasped  Tom  Halstead,  inwardly.  Joe  Dawson  's 
eyes  were  full  of  wonder.  Ab  Perkins's  lower 
jaw  was  hanging  down  in  proof  of  his  bewilder- 
ment. Dick  Davis 's  face  was  flushing.  Jed  was 
staring.  Only  Jeff  Randolph  appeared  indif- 
ferent. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Costigan?"  hailed  Mr. 
Baldwin,  leading  the  way  up  the  side  gangway. 
"Mr.  Costigan,  pay  your  respects  to  the  new 
captain  of  the  ' Panther.'  Captain  Halstead, 
Mr.  Costigan,  your  third  officer." 

If  Mr.  Costigan  appeared  astonished,  Tom 
Halstead  did  not  look  less  so.  That  he  was 
really  to  command  this  big,  handsome  craft 
seemed  to  Tom  like  a  dream.  A  moment  before, 
when  he  had  realized  that  the  "Panther"  was 
Mr.  Baldwin's  craft,  the  most  the  Maine  boy 
had  expected  was  that  he  and  his  companions 
would  be  allowed  to  stand  watch  in  the  engine 
room  and  on  the  bridge.  But — captain! 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  41 

Third  Officer  Costigan,  however,  saluted  in  a 
most  proper  manner.  Tom  held  out  his  hand 
cordially. 

"Presently,  Mr.  Costigan,  I  shall  ask  you  to 
show  me  about  this  craft. " 

"At  your  orders,  sir,"  replied  Costigan,  again 
saluting  his  commanding  officer,  then  making 
his  way  forward. 

1 '  Here 's  the  captain 's  cabin.  I  have  the  key, ' ' 
announced  Mr.  Baldwin,  leading  the  way  to  a 
door  immediately  aft  of  the  pilot  house.  The 
owner  unlocked  the  door,  then  led  the  way  in- 
side. Again  Captain  Tom  wondered  if  he  could 
be  dreaming.  Though  everything  was  compact 
in  this  stateroom,  yet  all  the  conveniences  were 
there,  too.  There  was  a  double  bed,  a  ward- 
robe locker,  running  water,  two  easy  chairs,  a 
desk,  and  a  table  just  under  a  well-stocked 
China  and  glass  cupboard. 

"Your  stateroom  runs  right  through  the 
deck-house  from  starboard  to  port,"  explained 
Mr.  Baldwin,  who  now  appeared  less  pressed 
for  time.  "Bathroom  and  chart-room  open  out 
of  this  cabin  aft.  I  think,  Captain,  you  will  be 
comfortable." 

"Comfortable!"  murmured  Tom,  then  smiled 
in  sheer  delight. 

The  other  motor  boat  boys  stood  about  the 
doorway,  not  offering  to  enter  while  the  owner 


42  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

was  there.  Mr.  Baldwin  dropped  into  one  of 
the  arm  chairs. 

"Now,  Captain,  I'll  tell  you  what  we  have 
aboard,"  continued  the  owner.  "Costigan  is 
third  officer.  He's  a  good  fellow,  and  a  capable 
sailor,  but  he  has  his  limitations,  and — well,  I 
don't  believe  he'll  ever  be  much  more  than  a 
third  officer.  You'd  better  keep  him  in  that 
grade — unless  you  find  he's  better  than  some 
of  your  comrades.  One  goo,d  thing  about  Costi- 
gan  is  that  he  has  a  pilot's  license  for  San 
Francisco  Bay  and  the  coast  hereabouts.  He's 
a  good  pilot,  too.  Another  good  thing  about 
Costigan  is  that  he's  loyal,  and  a  man  who 
knows  how  to  keep  his  tongue  resting  in  the 
back  of  his  mouth. 

"Besides  Costigan,  there  are  three  quarter- 
masters and  seven  men  in  the  crew.  "We  have 
also  a  cook  and  helper,  a  cabin  steward  and  a 
men's  steward.  That's  the  whole  outfit.  We 
have  no  one,  at  present,  in  the  engine-room  de- 
partment. You  have  men  with  you  to  fill  out 
those  positions,  haven't  you,  Captain?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Then  let  me  see  how  you'll  go  to  work  to 
place  them,"  shot  out  Mr.  Baldwin,  instantly. 

"Mr.  Perkins,  first  officer;  Mr.  Davis,  second 
officer,"  replied  Halstead,  promptly.  "Mr. 
Costigan,  of  course,  third  officer." 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  43 

"And  in  the  engine  room?"  pressed  the 
owner. 

"Mr.  Dawson,  chief  engineer;  Mr.  Prentiss, 
first  assistant;  Mr.  Bandolph,  second  assistant 
engineer. ' ' 

' '  All  right, ' '  nodded  Joseph  Baldwin.  ' <  That 
makes  our  complement  complete,  I  think.  Now, 
Captain,  publish  your  selections  to  the  crew  and 
take  command.  There 's  the  bell  at  the  side  of 
your  desk." 

Hardly  had  Tom  Halstead,  still  feeling  as 
though  in  a  trance,  pressed  the  button,  when  a 
jauntily  uniformed  sailor  appeared  at  the  door- 
way, saluting. 

"My  compliments  to  Mr.  Costigan;  ask  him 
to  come  here,"  ordered  Tom. 

From  the  speed  with  which  he  reported, 
Third  Officer  Costigan  must  have  been  awaiting 
the  summons. 

"Pipe  the  crew  forward  of  the  pilot  house, 
Mr.  Costigan.  All  hands.  I've  something  to 
say  to  them." 

The  third  officer's  whistle  rang  out  shrilly  for- 
ward. A  few  moments  later  Captain  Halstead 
was  notified  that  all  hands  were  on  deck. 

Tom  thereupon  went  forward,  accompanied  by 
the  new  officers  of  the  ' '  Panther, ' '  who  were  pro- 
claimed to  the  crew,  including  even  the  stewards 
and  cooks. 


44          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"And  I  now  invite  the  officers  to  my  cabin," 
said  Captain  Halstead  as  he  wound  up  his  ha- 
rangue to  the  men.  "The  details  of  the  deck 
and  engine  room  watches  will  be  decided  at 
once. ' r 

This  was  soon  done.  Following  the  practice 
that  now  obtains  on  many  yachts,  the  watches 
were  made  eight  hours  long,  instead  of  four. 
This  enabled  each  member  of  a  watch  to  get  a 
full  sleep  between  watches.  In  ordinary  weather 
neither  the  captain  nor  first  officer  stands  watch. 
The  captain's,  or  starboard,  watch  was  to  be 
taken  by  Dick  Davis  as  second  officer.  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan,  third  officer,  was  to  stand  the  first  officer's, 
or  port,  watch.  Joe  Dawson,  as  chief  engineer, 
was  generally  responsible  for  the  engineering  de- 
partment, but  stood  no  watch  in  the  engine  room, 
the  starboard  watch  at  the  motors  falling  to  Jed 
Prentiss,  and  the  port  watch  to  Jeff  Randolph. 
Bickson,  as  chief  quartermaster,  was  made  re- 
sponsible for  the  general  policing  of  the  craft, 
the  other  two  quartermasters  taking  watch  trick 
at  the  wheel  in  the  pilot  house. 

During  the  making  of  these  arrangements  Mr. 
Baldwin  had  strolled  aft  to  his  own  suite  of 
rooms.  These,  immediately  aft  of  the  chart 
room,  consisted  of  parlor,  bed-room  and  bath. 
Aft  of  these  quarters  lay  the  deck  dining  room, 
from  which  a  staircase  led  down  to  the  cabin 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  45 

proper.  Off  the  cabin  were  eight  handsome 
staterooms  for  the  owner's  guests. 

All  this  Tom  and  his  comrades  saw  as  Costi- 
gan  piloted  them,  over  this  superb  yacht. 

Forward  of  the  main  cabin,  below,  was  the 
chief  engineer's  stateroom,  which  Joe  would  oc- 
cupy by  himself.  In  Joe 's  room,  also,  was  serv- 
ice for  the  chief  engineer 's  meals. 

Then  there  was  a  stateroom  for  the  second 
and  third  officers,  and  another  for  the  engineer's 
two  assistants.  For  these  junior  officers,  and  Mr. 
Costigan,  there  was  an  officers'  mess.  Further 
forward  was  the  crew's  mess,  then  the  kitchen 
department.  Ahead  of  this  was  the  engine 
room,  with  the  crew's  forecastle  quarters  right 
up  in  the  bow  of  the  craft,  below  decks. 

"You  see,  sir,"  explained  Mr.  Costigan, 
"there's  everything  that  could  be  thought  of  for 
the  comfort  of  officers  and  crew." 

"It's  the  most  compact  boat  I  could  imagine," 
declared  Captain  Tom,  enthusiastically. 

"You  may  well  say  that,  sir." 

They  passed  on  to  inspect  the  engine  room. 
Joe's  eyes  fairly  gleamed  as  he  inspected  the  twin 
motors,  the  dynamos  and  all  the  other  details 
of  his  own  department.  It  was  a  finer  engine 
room  than  Joe  Dawson  had  hoped  to  command 
for  many  years  to  come.  He  remained  below, 
with  his  assistants,  to  inspect  their  new  domain, 


46  THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

while  Tom,  Ab  and  Dick  returned  to  the  deck 
with  Mr.  Costigan. 

The  "  Panther "  was  schooner  rigged,  with  a 
full  set  of  sails  for  each  of  the  two  masts.  There 
was  a  short  bowsprit,  carrying  two  jibs. 

"This  craft  does  pretty  well  under  sail,  sir," 
declared  the  third  officer. 

"She  looks  as  though  she  ought  to,"  replied 
Captain  Tom.  "But  what  gait  does  she  make 
with  her  power  alone!" 

"She's  been  running,  cruising,  sir,  at  about 
twelve  to  fourteen  miles  an  hour.  She's  listed 
as  a  twenty-two  mile  boat  at  her  best,  but  I  be- 
lieve, sir,  that  a  good  engineer  could  get  twenty  - 
four  out  of  her. ' ' 

"The  new  chief  engineer  is  one  who  can  get 
out  any  speed  that  the  motors  will  stand. ' ' 

"He  looks  it,  sir." 

Halstead  was  careful  always  to  use  the  word 
"Mister."  Watch  officers  and  engineers,  who 
are  also  officers,  are  always  addressed  in  that 
way,  by  the  captain,  or  even  by  the  owner. 
Costigan  was  equally  careful  to  say  t '  sir, ' '  when 
addressing  any  officer  of  grade  above  his  own. 

"When  you  can  spare  the  time,  Captain,  I'll 
have  a  few  words  with  you, "  called  Mr.  Baldwin, 
showing  his  head  through  the  starboard  doorway 
of  his  suite. 

"At  once,  sir,"  replied  Captain  Tom,  turn- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  47 

ing  and  going  to  the  owner's  door.  At  the 
threshold  the  new  captain  of  the  "  Panther " 
halted. 

'  *  Come  right  in,  Captain.  Take  a  chair, "  in- 
vited the  owner.  "Now,  then,  what  do  you 
think  of  your  new  task!" 

"I'm  astounded,  sir.  Overjoyed,  too,"  Tom 
replied,  with  a  candid  smile. 

"Why!" 

"Well,  sir,  this  craft  represents  the  height  of 
my  dreams.  The  *  Panther'  is  twice  the  length 
and  about  four  times  the  total  size  of  any  boat 
I've  ever  commanded  before." 

"Are  you  afraid  it's  too  big  an  undertaking 
for  you!"  asked  Mr.  Baldwin,  regarding  his 
young  sailing  master  keenly. 

"No,  sir!"  came  the  prompt  answer. 

"Hm !  I'm  glad  of  that.  But  I  wasn't  wor- 
rying. I've  known  Delavan  a  long  time.  I  told 
him  what  I  wanted,  and  knew  I  could  bank  on 
his  choice.  Are  all  your  friends  satisfied!" 

"They're  delighted,"  Tom  nodded.  "All 
they're  aching  for  now,  sir,  is  to  get  out  on  the 
first  cruise. ' ' 

"They'll  have  their  wish  this  evening," 
laughed  Mr.  Baldwin.  "Is  there  anything  you 
want  to  ask  me,  Captain ! ' ' 

"Nothing,  unless  you'll  permit  me  to  be  a  bit 


48  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"That's  a  bad  fault  on  this  yacht,"  replied 
Joseph  Baldwin,  with  a  slight  frown  that  quickly 
disappeared.  "What  is  it  you  want  to  know?" 

"I'm  wondering,  sir,  why  you  had  to  send  all 
the  way  east  for  officers  for  the  t  Panther '  f " 

"Because  I've  had  to  get  rid  of  two  sets  of 
officers,"  replied  Mr.  Baldwin,  crisply.  "One 
captain  was  too  inquisitive,  the  other  was  in- 
capable. Then  I  began  to  hear  a  good  deal  about 
your  famous  Motor  Boat  Club.  That  set  me  to 
corresponding  with  Delavan.  He  told  me  a  lot 
more  about  you  young  men,  and  I  couldn't  get  it 
out  of  my  head  that  you  were  the  sort  of  people 
I  wanted." 

"You  weren't  afraid  on  account  of  our  being 
so — well,  youthful  ? ' ' 

"I  knew,  if  you'd  suit  Frank  Delavan,  you'd 
suit  me.  And  I'm  just  as  sure  after  having  seen 
you  all.  Now,  Captain  Halstead,  you'll  be  ready 
to  sail  at  any  time  after  seven  this  evening.  That 
is  the  hour  when  my  guests  and  I  sit  down  to  din- 
ner aboard.  At  the  time  I'll  give  you  your  gen- 
eral sailing  instructions.  Eemember,  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan  must  be  your  pilot  until  you're  out  through 
the  Golden  Gate  and  clear  of  the  coast. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir,"  assented  Halstead,  rising.  "Any 
further  orders,  sir?" 

"That  is  all,  for  the  present,  Captain." 

Tom   Halstead   left   the    owner's    suite    and 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  49 

walked  forward,  filled  with  a  wonderful  sense  of 
elation.  He  passed  the  pilot  house  just  in  time 
to  see  Joe  Dawson  coming  up  forward. 

"Say,  are  we  going  to  wake  up,  chum?" 
breathed  young  Dawson  in  his  friend's  ear. 

"I  don't  believe  we'll  have  to,"  laughed  the 
young  skipper,  happily.  "We're  all  right,  I'm 
pretty  sure,  if  we  don't  do  something  that  greatly 
displeases  the  boat's  owner.  Thanks  to  Mr. 
Delavan,  the  owner  of  this  craft  is  willing  to  be- 
lieve, at  the  start,  that  we  're  all  that 's  good  and 
wonderful.  But  come  into  my  cabin,  old  fellow, 
if  you  have  the  time.  We'll  dine  together  to- 
night." 

Both  motor  boat  boys  sighed  their  supreme 
contentment  as  they  dropped  into  arm-chairs  fac- 
ing each  other.  It  was  now  so  dark  that  Tom 
switched  on  the  electric  lights. 

"How  are  the  engines,  Joe?"  asked  Tom, 
dropping  into  his  old,  friendly  manner. 

"Beady  to  start  at  a  second's  notice.  And 
Jed's  on  duty  there,  waiting  for  the  word." 

"Gasoline?" 

* '  Tanks  bulging  with  it.  Tom,  this  is  a  beauti- 
fully appointed  boat  below,  and  every  store  of 
every  description  is  in  place. ' ' 

"That's  the  kind  of  a  man  I'm  pretty  sure 
Mr.  Baldwin  is,"  nodded  Halstead. 

Joe  surveyed  a  row  of  speaking  tubes  that 

4— The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


50          THE    MOTOK   BOAT    CLUB 

hung  against  the  forward  wall  of  the  captain 's 
room.  He  picked  out  one  labeled  "engine- 
room,"  pressing  the  button  beneath  it. 

"Hello,  sir,"  came  the  quick  response,  in  Jed 
Prentiss 's  unmistakable  tones. 

"Hello,  Mr.  Prentiss,"  Joe  returned.  "How 
do  you  like  it  down  there,  on  duty  ? ' ' 

"It's  perfect!"  responded  Jed,  almost  dream- 
ily. "Everything  here  but  my  own  personal 
steward.  I  ain't  sure  but  what  he'll  blow  in,  in 
a  minute,  and  ask  me  what  I  '11  have  for  dinner. ' ' 

' '  Tell  him  we  're  scheduled  to  start  at  seven, ' ' 
suggested  Halstead. 

"I  can  start  in  seven  seconds,  if  I'm  asked 
to,"  promised  Prentiss.  "Anyway,  I  can  have 
the  propellers  turning  fast  before  you  can  get 
the  anchor  up.  Crackey !  I  forgot  that  I  have 
to  supply  even  the  power  for  hoisting  anchor." 

Twenty  minutes  later  the  two  chums,  who  had 
begun  their  career  by  patching  up  an  old  steam 
launch  down  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec  Eiver, 
in  Maine,  were  seated  at  table  in  the  captain's 
cabin,  doing  justice  to  a  meal  that  was  but  lit- 
tle short  of  sumptuous. 

The  chief  steward  himself,  a  man  named  Park-* 
inson,  served  the  young  captain  and  chief  engi- 
neer. He  hovered  about,  as  attentive  as  any 
hotel  waiter  or  private  butler  could  have  been. 

.It  was  the  second  steward,  however,  who  came 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  51 

in  with  the  dessert  for  the  two  chief  officers  of 
the  '"Panther." 

"What  has  become  of  the  other  steward !"  in- 
quired the  young  captain. 

"Time  for  him,  sir,  to  put  on  the  finishing 
touches  in  the  dining  saloon, "  replied  Collins, 
the  second  steward,  who  served  also  the  junior 
officers  and  the  crew. 

"If  we  eat  like  this  at  every  meal,  Joe, ' '  sighed 
Halstead,  contentedly,  when  the  second  steward 
had  removed  the  last  of  the  things,  "we'll  have 
to  devote  ^all  the  rest  of  the  time  to  exercising 
off  extra  flesh.  Let 's  get  out  on  deck. ' ' 

"All  right.  But  I  mean  to  he  in  the  engine- 
room  when  the  start  is  made." 

At  the  side  gangway  the  chums  stepped 
quickly  past,  to  make  way  for  half  a  dozen  men 
who  were  coming  up  over  the  side,  while  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan  Stood  respectfully  by  to  receive  them. 
They  were  guests  of  the  owner  just  coming  on 
board  for  the  night 's  cruise.  One  of  these  new- 
comers went  directly  to  Mr.  Baldwin's  suite. 

"Owner's  compliments,  sir,"  called  Parkin- 
son, softly,  as  he  came  hurrying  after  the  young 
sailing  master.  "Mr.  Baldwin  wishes  to  see 
Captain  Halstead  on  the  jump,  sir. ' ' 

The  call  had  come  for  the  brisk  beginning  of 
the  strangest  duties  in  which  young  Halstead 
had  ever  been  employed. 


52    THE  MOTOE  BOAT  CLUB 
CHAPTER  IV 

HALSTEAD  IS  LET  INTO  A  SECRET 


"/CAPTAIN  HALSTEAD,  my  friend,  Mr. 

I  ,  Jason  Ross,"  announced  Mr.  Baldwin, 
crisply,  as  soon  as  the  young  skipper 
had  closed  the  owner's  door  behind  him. 

Mr.  Ross  was  a  man  of  forty-five,  and  looked 
like  a  man  who  might  be  of  much  importance  in 
the  financial  world.  Yet  he  was  presented  to 
Halstead,  for  on  a  yacht  the  captain  is  consid- 
ered next  in  importance  to  the  owner. 

Tom  modestly  greeted  Mr.  Ross. 

"Sit  down,  Captain,"  snapped  out  the  owner, 
though  not  unkindly.  "Now,  IVe  got  to  take 
you  into  my  confidence  a  bit.  Delavan's  word 
for  you  makes  me  feel  that  I  can  safely  do  it." 

Tom  had  only  time  to  nod  ere  Mr.  Baldwin 
went  on,  crisply: 

"My  guests  are  on  board,  with  one  exception. 
In  a  way,  the  exception  is  the  most  important 
one  of  us  all.  He  isn't  so  very  important  in 
himself,  but  Gaston  Giddings,  though  a  very 
weak,  foolish  young  man,  happened  to  suc- 
ceed his  father  in  the  principal  control  and 
presidency  of  the  Sheepmen's  National  Bank. 
Young  Giddings  and  the  funds  his  bank  can  sup- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  53 

ply  are  of  the  utmost  importance  to  my  associ- 
ates and  myself  in  some  big  enterprises  we  are 
putting  through.  Do  I  make  myself  clear  ? ' ' 

"Wholly  so,  sir,"  Tom  answered,  quietly. 

"Now,  Giddings,  besides  being  several  kinds 
of  plain  and  ornamental  fool — no,  I  won't  quite 
say  that,  but  this  weak  young  man  has  one  fear- 
ful fault  for  the  head  of  a  bank " 

Joseph  Baldwin  paused  in  his  rapid  speech. 
He  looked  sharply  at  Mr.  Eoss  an  instant,  then 
continued : 

"Oh,  well,  Frank  Delavan  told  me  I  could 
trust  you  and  Dawson  with  anything  from  my 
yacht  to  my  reputation.  You  understand  that 
what  I  'm  telling  you,  Captain,  is  absolutely  confi- 
dential?" 

"Of  course,  sir,"  responded  Tom,  quietly. 

"Well,  then,  within  the  last  three  months 
young  Giddings  has,  in  some  way  we  can't  un- 
derstand, fallen  a  victim  to  the  opium  habit. 
The  young  man  is  all  but  totally  wrecked  by  the 
vile  drug.  How,  or  why,  he  started,  none  of  us 
can  understand.  You  see,  a  good  many  of  us 
older  men,  who  were  fast  friends  of  his  father, 
have  tried  to  stand  by  the  young  man.  Two  of 
to-night's  party  are  directors  in  the  Sheepmen's 
Bank.  We've  tried  to  get  the  bank's  funds 
placed  in  interests  that  we  control,  so  that  young 
Giddings  couldn't  go  very  far  wrong,  by  not 


54          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

having  enough  money  left  in  his  charge  to  wreck 
the  bank.  You  follow  me  T ' 

"I—I  think  so,  Mr.  Baldwin. " 

"Truth  to  tell,"  pursued  the  owner,  "I  had 
planned — my  friends  on  board  with  me — to  go 
out  ostensibly  for  one  night,  but  really  to  be 
gone  for  several  days.  One  of  our  friends  is  a 
specialist  in  the  opium  habit — Dr.  Gray.  We 
had  hoped,  on  this  trip,  to  plan  some  financial 
enterprises  that  would  use  up,  for  the  present, 
the  dangerously  large  balance  at  the  Sheepmen's 
Bank.  At  the  same  time  we  were  going  to  try 
to  force  young  Giddings  to  agree  to  heroic  medi- 
cal treatment  in  order  to  overcome  his  fearful 
vice. ' ' 

Tom  Halstead  remained  silent,  but  attentive. 

"Now,  at  the  last  moment, ' '  pursued  Mr.  Bald- 
win, "we  hear  that  Giddings  was  seen  in  a  closed 
carriage,  evidently  headed  for  Chinatown,  that 
vile  Oriental  section  of  San  Francisco,  where 
the  opium  vice  flourishes  at  its  worst.  And  in 
Chinatown  a  man  can  disappear  so  completely 
that  his  friends  can't  find  him  again  in  years. 
Giddings  was  to  be  here  to-night,  but  he's  in 
a  Chinatown  opium  den  istead.  If  we  appeal  to 
the  police,  it'll  all  be  in  the  newspapers. 
There  '11  be  a  scandal  that  will  disgrace  Giddings 
forever,  start  a  run  on  the  Sheepmen's  Bank, 
and — though  this  is  the  least  of  our  worries — 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  55 

will  delay  for  some  time  the  pushing  of  the  big 
financial  game  in  which  my  friends  and  myself 
are  interested.  Now,  we've  got  to  find  some 
way  of  getting  at  Giddings,  and  of  bringing  him 
on  board  without  trouble  or  noise.  I  Ve  told  you 
this  much,  Captain  Halstead,  so  that  you'll  un- 
derstand the  need  of  secrecy.  If  we  can  find 
Giddings,  and  get  him  out  here,  then  we  must 
bring  him  over  the  side  and  get  him  into  his 
stateroom  without  his  being  seen  by  any  of  the 
crew  on  board,  except,  possibly,  by  one  or  two  of 
your  own  comrades  whom  you  think  you  can  best 
trust." 

"I  can  trust  every  one  of  'em?  sir,"  declared 
Captain  Tom,  promptly.  "So  will  you,  when 
you  know  them  better. ' ' 

'Then,  Captain,  before  we  make  any  move  to 
find  Giddings  in  his  Chinatown  hiding-place,  and 
attempt  to  get  him  aboard  this  yacht,  we  must 
have  all  of  the  crew  safely  out  of  the  way,  save 
for  your  own  personal  friends  among  the 
officers. ' ' 

"I  can  plan  for  the  crew  to  go  ashore,"  de- 
clared Tom  Halstead.  "I  have  only  to  state 
that  you've  decided  to  delay  putting  out  to  sea, 
and  that  you've  been  good  enough  to  grant  the 
men  a  night  on  shore  at  the  theatre  at  your  ex- 
pense. That  will  take  every  one  of  them  over 
the  side.  Do  you  want  Mr.  Costigan  to  go?" 


56          THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

"Why,  I  think  Costigan  is  all  right,  but  he 
isn't  needed  here,  anyway,  so  he'd  better  go 
ashore  also." 

"Easily  settled,  then,  Mr.  Baldwin.  I  can 
send  Mr.  Costigan  off  in  charge  of  the  shore 
party.  At  what  hour  do  you  wish  them  all  to 
return,  sir*?" 

1  i  Not  a  minute  before  midnight ! ' 7 

"Very  good,  sir.  I  can  tell  Mr.  Costigan  that 
you've  been  called  ashore,  that  you  will  dine 
there,  and  that  you  are  very  glad  of  this  oppor- 
tunity to  give  the  older  members  of  the  crew  a 
chance  to  enjoy  themselves  ashore." 

"Excellent,  indeed!"  cried  Mr.  Baldwin,  in  a 
low  tone.  l  i  What  do  you  say,  Eoss  ? ' ' 

"If  Captain  Halstead  can  vouch  so  heartily 
for  the  silence  and  discretion  of  his  own  friends, 
then  the  plan  ought  to  clear  the  decks  so  that  we 
can  get  Giddings  aboard — if  we  find  him — with- 
out any  comment  or  scandal  at  all,"  agreed 
Jason  Eoss. 

Joseph  Baldwin  employed  himself  stripping  a 
few  banknotes  from  a  roll  that  he  drew  from  a 
trousers  pocket. 

"Give  this  money  to  Mr.  Costigan,  Captain, 
and  tell  him  to  see  to  it  that  the  men  have  a  good 
time  on  shore — though  no  drunkenness!  And 
you,  Captain  Halstead,  I  trust  to  see  to  it  that 
none  but  your  own  friends  remain  aboard. ' ' 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  57 

Ten  minutes  later  Captain  Tom  returned  to 
the  owner's  suite  to  report  that  Third  Officer 
Costigan  and  the  crew,  including  the  stewards 
and  cooks,  had  gone  ashore  in  the  tender,  Jeff 
Kandolph  running  the  boat  in. 

"How  soon  will  Eandolph  be  back?"  asked 
Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Within  ten  minutes,  sir." 

"Then  I  shall  want  him  to  put  Mr.  Eoss  and 
myself  ashore.  We  two  must  take  up  the  seem- 
ingly impossible  task  of  locating  young  Giddings 
in  the  heart  of  Chinatown's  slums,  and  bring 
him  here  by  force,  yet  without  noise.  Once  we 
get  him  on  board,  and  below,  we  can  keep  the 
young  man  quiet  until  morning,  when  we'll  be 
well  out  on  the  ocean.  Dr.  Gray  will  attend  to 
that." 

"Are  your  friends  going  to  remain  on  board, 
without  dinner  ? ' '  asked  Halstead. 

"No;  they  can  go  ashore  and  get  dinner  at  a 
restaurant,  returning  presently.  Mr.  Kandolph 
can  keep  the  tender  at  the  landing  stage  until 
they  return.  Then,  as  soon  as  he  has  brought 
our  other  friends  aboard,  Mr.  Eandolph  can  re- 
turn for  Eoss  and  myself,  when  we  get  back, 
But  Mr.  Eandolph  must  not  let  Costigan  or  the 
crew  get  aboard  until  after  we  Ve  returned. ' ' 

"I'll  make  his  instructions  clear  on  that 
point,"  nodded  Tom. 


58          THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

"That  is  all,  then.  Let  me  know  when  the 
tender  returns." 

"Hold  on,  a  moment,  Baldwin, "  interposed 
Mr.  Boss. 

"Well!" 

"Baldwin,  neither  of  us  is  in  what  might  be 
called  the  pink  of  condition,  and  young  Gid- 
dings  may  put  up  a  fight  in  his  half-crazed 
way.  Don't  we  need  a  little  real  brawn  with 
us?" 

"Taking  Captain  Halstead  with  us,  do  you 
mean!" 

"That  was  the  idea  that  had  come  into  my 
head, ' '  nodded  Mr.  Eoss. 

"Yes;  it  would  be  an  excellent  idea.  Cap- 
tain, you  will  go  with  us.  Leave  your  first  offi- 
cer in  command  here  until  we  return." 

"Very  good,  sir." 

Tom  Halstead  saluted,  then  withdrew.  He 
gave  his  orders  quickly,  not  deeming  it  necessary 
to  mention  any  phase  of  the  story  of  young 
Gaston  Giddings  to  his  comrades  of  the  Motor 
Boat  Club. 

As  soon  as  the  launch  was  alongside  Tom  has- 
tened to  inform  Mr.  Baldwin.  The  entire  party 
thereupon  came  out  on  deck,  gathering  at  the 
side  gangway.  They  speedily  embarked  in  the 
tender,  in  which  Jeff  sat  where  he  could  handle 
both  engine  and  steering  gear. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  59 

"Your  instructions  are  clear,  Mr.  Perkins!" 
called  Tom  Halstead,  softly,  from  the  launch. 

6 '  Quite  clear,  sir, ' '  Ab  replied.  ' i  The  instruc- 
tions will  be  followed  to  the  letter. ' 9 

"Shove  off,  then,"  Tom  commanded.  "To 
the  landing  stage,  Mr.  Randolph." 

It  would  have  been  almost  laughable,  to  any- 
one who  had  witnessed  the  frolicsome  motor 
boat  boys  going  through  their  hazing  af- 
fair of  the  forenoon,  had  he  now  been  at  hand 
to  hear  them  using  the  stately  "mister"  and 
"sir"  with  all  the  gravity  of  naval  officers. 

Jeff  speedily  had  the  party  ashore. 

Twenty  minutes  later  a  closed  cab  rolled 
slowly  in  at  one  corner  of  gayly-lighted,  mal- 
odorous Chinatown.  The  vehicle  contained 
Messrs.  Baldwin  and  Ross  and  young  Captain 
Tom  Halstead.  In  this  poisonous  atmosphere 
they  sought  a  young  human  wreck,  Gaston 
Giddings. 

CHAPTEE   V 

A   HUNT   IN    THE   UNDEK-WOKLD 

DURING  the  ride  from  the  water  front 
Captain  Tom  Halstead  had  sat  on  the 
front  seat  of  the  cab,  quiet  and  reserved. 
Now,  as  they  entered  the  outer  confines  of 
Chinatown,  Halstead  leaned  slightly  forward, 


60          THE   MOTOB   BOAT    CLUB 

peering  out  at  the  shops  and  at  the  queer  Ori- 
ental jumble,  mixed  here  and  there  with  white 
people,  that  thronged  the  narrow  sidewalks. 

"Are  you  headed  for  any  particular  place, 
sir?"  queried  the  young  skipper,  after  a  few 
moments. 

' '  No, ' '  admitted  Mr.  Baldwin.  ' '  I  know  noth- 
ing of  Chinatown.  We  must  drive  through, 
first  of  all,  at  a  venture.  Presently  an  idea  may 
come  to  us.  Whatever  we  do,  our  plans  must 
soon  be  formed.  If  I  dared  speak  to  a  police 
officer — but  the  risk  is  too  great.'7 

"There's  a  restaurant,"  murmured  the  boy, 
suddenly.  "It  looks  like  a  big  and  clean  place. 
Why  don't  you  and  Mr.  Boss  slip  in  there,  have 
some  tea  or  something,  and  let  me  prowl  about 
in  these  queer,  crooked  streets  for  a  few  min- 
utes ?  Chinatown  is  only  a  few  blocks  in  extent, 
I  understand.  I  may  be  able  to  learn  some- 
thing that  way,  unless  you  have  a  better  plan, 
sir." 

"I  am  afraid  you'll  run  into  danger,  alone  in 
this  barbarous  crowd,"  objected  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"I'm  not  in  the  least  afraid,"  smiled  Tom, 
confidently.  i '  Two  prosperous  looking  men  like 
you  might  attract  attention,  but,  as  for  me,  the 
people  hereabouts  will  think  only  that  I'm  some 
young  sailor  ashore  for  a  lark.  Shall  I  stop  the 
cab,  sir?" 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  61 

"Yes,"  agreed  Joseph  Baldwin,  though  he 
spoke  doubtfully. 

Tom's  hand  shot  up  at  once,  grabbing  the 
check  string.  The  driver  pulled  up  his  horses, 
then  came  to  the  door,  opening  it. 

"This  will  be  as  good  a  place  for  you  to  re- 
main, driver,  as  anywhere, ' '  said  Halstead,  as  he 
stepped  out.  Then  he  turned,  waiting  for 
Messrs.  Baldwin  and  Boss  to  alight. 

"Shall  I  find  you  in  that  restaurant,  sir?"  the 
young  skipper  inquired. 

"Yes;  but  don't  be  too  long  away,  Halstead, 
or  we  shall  be  more  uneasy  than  ever." 

* i  Trust  a  sailor  to  take  care  of  himself  in  any 
crowd,  sir,"  laughed  Tom  Halstead,  jauntily. 
With  that  he  stepped  off,  at  a  more  rolling  gait 
than  he  usually  employed  on  shore. 

The  young  motor  boat  captain  carried  in  his 
mind  a  good  personal  description  of  Gaston  Gid- 
dings.  He  had  secured  this  from  Mr.  Baldwin 
before  leaving  the  yacht. 

i '  Ugh !  The  smell  here  is  worse  than  in  New 
York's  Chinatown,"  Tom  told  himself,  disgust- 
edly. 

From  upper  windows  of  some  of  the  build- 
ings that  lined  the  narrow,  dirty  streets  came 
the  squawkings  of  Chinese  fiddles  and  other 
discordant  "musical"  instruments  of  a  wholly 
Oriental  type.  There  seemed  to  be  two  or  three 


62  THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

joss-houses,  or  temples,  in  every  sliort  block.  On 
the  street  floors,  however,  stores  offering  all 
kinds  of  Chinese  merchandise  were  most  com- 
mon. Tom  suspected  that  the  gambling  places 
and  opium  joints  lay  in  the  rear  of  these  stores. 

"Want  a  guide  to  Chinatown!  Show  ye 
everything,  boss,  for  two  dollars.  Show  ye 
every  real  sight  in  Chinatown,"  appealed  a 
seedy,  dirty,  young  white  man  who  now  held 
Tom  by  one  sleeve. 

"Anything  really  worth  seeing?"  asked  Hal- 
stead,  smilingly. 

"Oh,  everything  worth  seeing,"  responded 
the  seedy  guide,  with  a  wide  wave  of  one  arm. 
"Best  two  dollars'  worth  you  ever  had.  Most 
curious  sights  you  ever  saw  in  any  part  of  the 
world.  Sailor,  ain't  ye?" 

"Yes." 

"Sailors  are  my  specialty,"  declared  the 
seedy  guide,  grimly.  "Come,  ye'd  better  haul 
up  the  two  dollars  and  let  me  take  you  about. ' ' 

"What  about  opium  joints,  for  instance?" 
asked  Tom  Halstead,  speaking  as  though  he  had 
not  enthused  much  as  yet. 

"I  know  'em  all,"  asserted  the  seedy  guide, 
eagerly.  "Want  to  smoke  the  opium  pipe?" 

"Can't  say,"  replied  Tom,  vaguely.  "Yet, 
if  I  do  go  around  with  you,  you've  got  to  take 
me  to  the  really  swell  opium  places." 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE  63 

"Oh,  I  can  do  it — better 'n  any  other  guide  in 
Chinatown/ '  promised  the  fellow,  quickly. 
"Come,  just  hand  over  the  two  dollars,  and  see 
what  I  can  show  you." 

With  a  great  pretense  of  reluctance  Captain 
Tom  produced  four  half  dollars,  which  he 
handed  to  the  guide. 

"Remember,  now,"  he  said,  "I  want  what 
you  might  call  the  artistocratic  places." 

"If  ye  ain't  satisfied,"  promised  the  guide, 
glibly,  "then  ye '11  get  your  money  back." 

1  i  Go  ahead,  then,  but  mind  what  I  told  you. ' ' 

Through  dark  alleyways,  or  through  stores 
into  rear  apartments,  Halstead  followed  his 
conductor.  In  rapid  succession  he  passed  in 
and  out  of  half  a  dozen  opium  joints.  One  was 
as  much  like  another  as  two  kernels  of  wheat 
resemble  each  other. 

In  each  place  there  was  the  same  outer  room, 
then  the  same  bunk-room,  an  apartment  fitted 
up  with  bunks  at  the  sides.  It  was  in  these 
rooms  that  the  smoking  was  done.  The  intend- 
ing smoker  stretched  himself  out  in  a  bunk, 
while  a  Chinese  attendant  brought  lamp  and 
kit.  A  tiny  ball  of  opium  was  quickly  lighted — 
"cooked" — at  the  lamp's  flame.  Then  this 
glowing  pellet  of  opium  was  thrust  into  the 
bowl  of  an  opium  pipe,  and  the  latter  handed 
to  the  smoker  in  the  bunk.  The  smoker  con- 


64          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

sumed  his  pellet  after  two  or  three  whiffs. 
After  smoking  three  or  four  pipes,  most  of  the 
smokers  succumbed,  falling  back  in  a  torpid 
sleep. 

The  air  was  heavy,  disgusting  in  these  places. 
Degraded  white  men  and  women  were  occasion- 
ally to  be  seen,  though  most  of  the  smokers 
were  Orientals,  generally  Chinese. 

Heart-sick  and  dizzy,  Tom  Halstead  still 
kept  on,  though,  whenever  he  reached  outer  air, 
he  took  pains  to  inflate  his  lungs  several  times 
before  again  entering  one  of  the  wretched, 
squalid  "  joints. " 

Off  the  bunk-rooms  several  of  these  dens 
had  "private"  sleeping  apartments,  for  white 
smokers  who  desired  more  privacy.  Wherever 
he  noted  doors  to  such  private  rooms  Tom  Hal- 
stead  thrust  them  open,  glancing  inside.  Nor 
was  his  conduct  resented.  The  opium  smokers 
were  too  far  gone  to  show  or  feel  anger. 

"You  haven't  shown  me  any  very  swell  places 
yet,"  protested  the  young  skipper,  after  leav- 
ing the  seventh  place. 

The  guide,  a  thin,  undersized,  slovenly  man 
in  his  early  thirties,  turned  to  look  the  motor 
boat  boy  over  keenly. 

Tom  noticed  that  the  fellow's  eyes  had  a  look 
in  them  much  like  the  look  in  the  eyes  of  sev- 
eral of  the  smokers  they  had  just  seen. 


AT   THE    GOLDEN   GATE  65 

"This  fellow  is  an  opium-user  himself, "  de- 
cided Tom  Halstead. 

"Say,  young  feller,"  remarked  the  guide,  in 
a  cautious  undertone,  "you're  looking  for 
someone." 

"Perhaps  I  am,"  the  young  skipper  half 
admitted. 

"Who  is  he?" 

'  l  No  matter.  But  do  you  know  any  of  the  men 
who  come  here  to  Chinatown .  of  ten  to  use  the 
pipe?" 

"Say,  if  there's  any  white  hop-fiend  that  I 
don't  know,  then  he's  a  brand-new  one,"  re- 
joined the  guide. 

"Do  you  know  a  young  man  of  twenty-four 
or  five,  about  five-eight  tall,  dark,  slim,  rather 
fine-looking,  smooth  faced  and  with  a  slight 
scar  under  his  right  ear?" 

"I  guess  that  must  be  young  Doc  Gaston," 
whispered  the  guide. 

Gaston?  That  was  Giddings's  first  name. 
Tom  Halstead  started,  though  he  strove  to  con- 
ceal his  excitement. 

"Where  does  Doc  Gaston  go?"  he  demanded. 

"What '11  you  pay  to  find  out?"  insisted  the 
guide,  cunningly. 

"Ten  dollars." 

"Make  it  fifty,  and  I'll  do  it  for  you." 

Tom,  however,  stuck  to  his  original  price, 

5— The  Motor  Bo*t  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


66          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

though  three  or  four  minutes  were  lost  in  hag- 
gling. 

"Ten  dollars  is  the  highest  price,"  Tom  de- 
clared, flatly.  "That  pays  you  for  standing  by 
me  until  I  get  Doc  Gaston — if  he's  the  one  I'm 
looking  for — outside  of  Chinatown." 

"Well,  gimme  the  money  now,  then,"  de- 
manded the  guide. 

t  i  Oh,  no, ' '  retorted  the  young  skipper,  tartly. 
"You  get  the  money  after  we're  through  and  on 
the  edge  of  Chinatown  in  a  cab.  Now,  don't 
haggle  any  more,  or  I'll  drop  the  matter  alto- 
gether. Are  you  going  to  take  my  offer,  or 
not?" 

"Say,  you'll  sure  pay  the  ten,  will  ye  I" 
whined  the  fellow. 

"As  sure  as  there's  a  sky  above  us." 

"Then  come  along." 

"Where's  the  place!"  questioned  Tom  Hal- 
stead. 

"Around  the  next  corner." 

"Do  you  know  where  Yum  Kee's  restaurant 
is?" 

"0'  course.  They  call  Yum  Kee  the  China- 
town Delmonico." 

"Lead  me  back  there,  then,  and  we'll  get  the 
carriage. ' ' 

Tom  Halstead  had  been  around  so  many  cor- 
ners in  this  crowded,  complex  quarter  of  San 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  67 

Francisco  that  lie  had  lost  his  bearings.  The 
guide,  however,  piloted  him  back  to  the  wait- 
ing cab  within  two  minutes. 

First  of  all,  however,  the  young  skipper 
peered  in  at  the  restaurant.  Messrs.  Baldwin 
and  Eoss  were  at  one  of  the  rear  tables,  eating. 

1  'Tell  the  driver  where  to  go,  now,  and  we'll 
make  the  start,'7  Tom  instructed  the  guide. 
Soon  afterwards  they  alighted  before  a  brightly- 
lighted  Chinese  grocery  store.  Besides  the  pro- 
prietor, there  were  three  or  four  clerks  and  a 
dozen  yellow-skinned,  pig-tailed  customers  in 
the  place.  The  guide,  with  an  air  of  being  at 
home  here,  led  the  way  straight  back,  pushing 
ajar  a  door  at  the  rear.  The  instant  they  en- 
tered this  rear  compartment  the  sickening  odor 
of  sizzling  opium  greeted  Captain  Tom's  nos- 
trils. This  proved  to  be  the  inevitable  outer 
room,  but  the  guide  led  into  the  adjoining  bunk- 
room.  In  this  latter  apartment  were  half  a 
dozen  doors. 

"Just  look  through  'em,"  whispered  the 
guide.  "Don't  talk  to  me  none.  Eemember,  if 
there's  a  row  here,  I've  got  to  make  up  a  yarn 
that  will  square  things  for  me." 

Two  of  the  private  rooms  into  which  Hal- 
stead  boldly  intruded  proved  to  be  empty. 

In  the  third  room  a  weazened  little  old  China- 
man crouched  over  a  lamp  and  a  tray  holding 


68          THE    MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

an  outfit.  He  was  preparing  to  remove  these 
things.  In  the  bunk,  sprawled  out,  with  glassy 
eyes,  was  a  young  man  whom  Tom  Halstead 
recognized  in  a  flash — weak,  vice-ridden  Gaston 
Giddings ! 

CHAPTER   VI 

FACING    THE    YELLOW    BARRIER 

""Ik    /TAYBE    what    you    likee    here!"    de- 

JV/I  manded  the  little  old  Chinaman, 
looking  up  with  a  snarl. 

"Looking  around, "  retorted  Tom,  grimly. 

"Allee  same — git!" 

The  guide  had  approached,  taking  a  swift, 
shifty  look  in  at  the  bunk. 

"That's  Doc  Gaston,  isn't  it?"  whispered 
Tom,  over  his  shoulder. 

"Don't  ye  know  him!"  queried  the  guide, 
suspiciously. 

"He  looks  strange,  with  that  glassy  look  in 
his  eyes." 

"That's  Doc  Gaston,  all  right.  'Least,  that's 
what  he  calls  himself  in  Chinatown. ' ' 

"You  allee  same  git — chop-chop,"  snarled 
the  Chinaman,  savagely.  He  had  put  the  smok- 
ing outfit  on  the  floor  once  more,  and  now 
pushed  against  the  motor  boat  boy  with  both 
hands,  trying  to  force  him  from  the  room. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  69 

\ 

Tom,  however,  coolly  and  gravely  picked  the 
short  Chinaman  up  off  his  feet,  wheeled  and  put 
him  down  again  on  the  floor  of  the  bunkroom 
beyond. 

"Now,  shove  off!"  ordered  Halstead,  half 
gruffly.  l  i  Don 't  bother  me  again. ' ' 

After  flashing  an  ugly  look  at  the  motor  boat 
boy,  the  Chinaman  fled  in  the  direction  of  the 
store. 

"Now,  whatcher  going  to  do!"  demanded  the 
guide,  nervously. 

"If  I  can't  get  young  Gaston  to  walking  on 
his  own  feet,  then  I'm  going  to  pick  him  up  in 
my  arms  and  carry  him  out  to  the  carriage," 
answered  Tom  Halstead,  firmly. 

"Smoking  joss-house!"  gasped  the  guide. 
"D'ye  know  what '11  happen?  There'll  be  a 
house-full  of  them  chinks  down  on  us !  Hatchet 
men — gun  men — say,  young  feller,  dontcher 
know  that  these  here  hop-joints  are  protected 
by  the  highbinders?" 

Tom  Halstead  had  heard  of  the  Chinese  high- 
binders in  New  York.  He  knew  of  them  as  a 
desperate  crowd  of  yellow-skinned  thugs.  The 
guide 's  own  terror  was  too  real  to  be  feigned. 

"If  you're  afraid  of  this  kind  of  a  job,  what 
did  you  come  here  for?"  asked  the  young  skip- 
per, quickly,  gruffly. 

"Why,  I  thought  ye  was.goin'  to  try  to  coax 


70  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

the  young  Doc  out.  But,  say— taking  him  out 
by  force — lemme  get  outer  this  on  the  jump!" 

"No,  you  don't,"  roared  Tom  Halstead,  with 
swift  and  quite  unlooked-for  energy.  "Stand 
by,  now!" 

He  gripped  the  guide  by  the  arm,  fairly  forc- 
ing him  over  to  the  bunk  in  which  the  young 
opium  smoker  lay.  Giddings,  if  it  was  really 
he,  lay  open-eyed,  yet  unheeding. 

"Come,  get  up!"  ordered  the  boy,  reaching 
with  both  hands  under  the  opium  smoker's 
shoulders  and  raising  him.  "Out  on  your 
feet!" 

A  drowsy,  unintelligible  protest  came  from 
the  stranger.  But  Tom  fairly  lifted  him  out 
onto  his  feet,  then  threw  a  strong,  supporting 
arm  about  him. 

"Now,  walk!  Come  along!"  ordered  Hal- 
stead,  briskly,  taking  hold  of  the  young  man 
with  his  other  hand. 

"Sufferin7  joss-sticks!"  wailed  the  guide. 
"Here  come  the  chinks — number-one  man  and 
all!" 

The  door  of  the  bunkroom  burst  open. 
Through  the  doorway  rapidly  advanced  the 
gorgeously-dressed  Chinaman  whom  Tom  had 
supposed  to  be  the  proprietor  of  the  store  be- 
yond. Back  of  him  came  four  plainly-attired 
Chinamen  with  as  hard-looking,  evil  faces  as 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  71 

could  be  found  in  all  Chinatown's  quagmire 
of  vice. 

"This  ain't  my  doings,  Ling!"  wailed  the 
guide,  quailing  before  the  stern  glances  of  the 
yellow  leader — the  "number-one  man."  "I 
told  this  young  fellow  he'd  have  to  quit.  Let 
us  out." 

"Yes;  let  us  out!"  repeated  Tom  Halstead, 
staring  undauntedly  into  the  eyes  of  Ling. 

"Put  him  down,"  ordered  Ling,  nodding 
scowlingly  at  the  stranger  whom  Halstead  sup- 
ported. "Then,  maybe,  we  see  what  we  do 
with  you." 

The  air  was  full  of  danger  of  the  most  awe- 
some kind.  Though  not  a  weapon  showed,  as 
yet,  each  of  the  four  Chinese  behind  the  pro- 
prietor stood  with  his  hands  thrust  up  into  his 
sleeves.  A  Chinaman  always  carries  his 
weapons  up  his  sleeves,  whence  he  can  bring 
them  down,  into  action,  with  incredible 
rapidity. 

"Now,  don't  think  you've  got  me  fright- 
ened," uttered  Tom  Halstead,  sturdily,  gazing 
undauntedly  at  the  Chinese.  "There  isn't  any 
scare  in  me  when  I'm  dealing  with  people  like 
you.  If  you  make  one  single  false  move  you'll 
be  the  ones  who'll  be  sorry  for  it.  Ling,  I'm 
going  to  take  this  young  man  out  of  here.  His 
friends  know  where  he  is,  and  they've  sent  me 


72  THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

here  to  get  him.  I'm  going  to  take  him  out  of 
here,  chop-chop.  If  I'm  not  out  of  here  in  an- 
other minute  or  so,  then  this  young  man's 
friends  will  bring  down  police  enough  on  you 
to  clean  the  place  out." 

Ling  laughed  contemptuously. 

' '  Oh,  you  may  think  you  have  money  enough, 
and  'pull'  enough,  to  keep  the  police  from 
troubling  you,"  jeered  young  Halstead.  "But, 
if  this  young  man's  friends  get  after  you,  it'll 
make  a  noise  that  the  police  can't  shut  their 
ears  to." 

Two  of  the  men  behind  Ling  stood  blocking 
the  doorway.  The  other  two,  by  now,  were 
edging  around  to  get  on  either  side  of  the  un- 
flinching boy. 

"You  yellow  scoundrels,  get  back,  and  stay 
back!"  commanded  Tom,  glaring  at  them 
sternly. 

There  comes  into  notice,  now  and  then,  a  man 
who  has  enough  of  the  magnetic  quality  of 
bravery  to  hold  a  mob  back.  Tom  Halstead 
was  possessed  of  the  grit  needed  for  such  an 
undertaking. 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  Ling — you  and  your, 
heathen  hatchet  men,"  commanded  the  young 
skipper,  resolutely.     "I'm  going  past  you.     If 
I  find  any  'fellow  in  my  way  I'll  knock  him 
down.    If  you  fight  back,  it'll  be  the  finish  of 


"  Gangway,  You  Yellow  Idiots. 
73 


'AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  75 

you  and  of  this  place.  Gangway,  you  yellow 
idiots!" 

Still  supporting,  half  dragging,  the  dazed 
young  banker,  Tom  Halstead  grittily  pressed 
his  way  to  the  doorway  and  through  it.  One 
of  Ling's  henchmen  attempted  to  stand  immo- 
vable, but  Halstead,  with  a  quick  blow  of  his 
open  hand,  sent  the  fellow  stumbling  backward. 

"If  you're  thinking  of  creeping  up  behind 
me,  don't  try  it,"  advised  Halstead,  as  coolly 
as  ever,  as  he  started  across  the  outer  room. 

He  gained  the  closed  door  connecting  with  the 
outer  store.  Pausing  here,  a  moment,  he  beheld 
two  of  Ling's  yellow- visaged  fellows  creeping 
toward  him. 

"Back  for*  yours — that'll  keep  you  out  of 
trouble,"  "barked  the  young  skipper,  coolly, 
without  raising  a  hand  to  defend  himself.  Then 
he  threw  the  door  open,  calling  backward  over 
his  shoulder: 

"Don't  you  dare  let  this  young  man  in  here 
again,  Ling.  If  you  do,  it  '11  wind  you  up. ' ' 

With  that  the  motor  boat  boy  contrived  to 
pilot  his  charge  swiftly  through  the  store.  He 
was  not  safe  until  he  had  passed  the  last  of  these 
yellow  men,  and  the  young  skipper  knew  it. 
Yet,  at  last,  he  had  the  stranger  out  on  the 
sidewalk,  one  hand  up  to  signal  the  driver  of 
the  cab. 


76          THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

The  guide,  keeping  close  to  the  motor  boat 
boy,  had  managed  to  get  out  with  him.  But 
the  little  fellow  was  shaking  as  though  seized 
with  the  ague. 

"Get  into  the  cab,  and  help  me  take  the 
young  man  in,"  ordered  Tom,  and  the  guide 
was  glad,  indeed,  to  dive  inside  the  carriage. 
In  another  moment  they  were  driving  away. 

"Say,  but  youVe  got  the  nerve !"  chattered 
the  guide,  his  teeth  knocking  together. 

'  '  Maybe  you  'd  have  some  nerve  if  you  'd  learn 
to  leave  hop  alone, ' '  rejoined  Halstead.  ' '  Hop ' ' 
is  the  Chinatown  name  for  opium. 

Halstead  sat  on  the  rear  seat,  supporting  the 
young  banker  beside  him.  In  a  little  while  the 
cab  again  halted  in  front  of  Yum  Kee's  res- 
taurant. 

"Here,"  said  Halstead,  producing  a  ten- 
dollar  bill.  "Take  this.  Skip  as  soon  as  you 
like." 

"You  oughter  gimme  more,"  whined  the 
guide. 

"I've  given  you  all  I  agreed.  No  use  trying 
to  get  any  more." 

The  guide,  thereupon,  sprang  out,  vanishing 
within  a  few  seconds.  Going  to  the  doorway 
of  the  restaurant,  yet  standing  where  he  could 
keep  a  close  watch  on  the  cab,  Tom  uttered  a 
long,  low  whistle.  Messrs.  Baldwin  and  Eoss 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  77 

saw  him  instantly,  and  came  hastening  out. 
By  the  time  they  reached  the  cab  the  young 
skipper  was  inside  again. 

"Is  this  your  young  man?"  asked  Halstead, 
almost  in  a  whisper. 

"Yes,"  nodded  Baldwin,  a  jubilant  gleam 
showing  in  his  eyes. 

"Better  jump  in,  then,  sir,  so  we  can  get 
away  quickly." 

Gaston  Giddings  now  leaned  against  Tom's 
shoulder,  sleeping  the  sleep  of  drugged  stupe- 
faction. 

"How  on  earth  did  you  find  him  so  soon?" 
questioned  Joseph  Baldwin,  leaning  forward 
when  the  cab  had  gone  beyond  the  confines  of 
Chinatown.  Tom  told  the  whole  story,  simply 
and  modestly. 

"Young  man,"  uttered  Jason  Eoss,  solemnly, 
' '  I  don 't  believe  you  have  any  idea,  yet,  of  how 
huge  a  risk  you  ran  yourself  into.  The  Chinese 
criminal  is  desperate  at  all  times,  but  ten-fold 
more  so  when  he's  on  his  own  ground,  sur- 
rounded only  by  his  own  crowd." 

"Well,  I  got  out,  didn't  I?"  smiled  the  young 
skipper,  coolly. 

1 '  Yes ;  but  I  marvel  at  it. ' ' 

"I  understand  more  and  more  why  Dela- 
van  recommended  these  youngsters  to  me," 
breathed  Joseph  Baldwin,  gleefully.  "  l  Beady 


78          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

for  anything/  he  told  me,  was  the  motto  of  the 
Motor  Boat  Club  boys." 

When  the  cab  rolled  out  onto  the  dock  Jeff 
Randolph  was  found  pacing  back  and  forth  on 
the  landing  stage.  No  other  member  of  the 
crew  was  in  sight,  and  Jeff  stated  that  none  of 
the  others  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  party  of  guests  had 
yet  returned. 

Gaston  Giddings,  still  unaware  of  his  sur- 
roundings, was  helped  aboard  the  tender.  A 
swift  trip  was  made  to  the  "Panther,"  and  the 
unfortunate  young  man  was  immediately  carried 
below  to  be  put  to  bed  in  one  of  the  stateroom 
berths. 

Half  an  hour  later  Mr.  Baldwin  ?s  other  guests 
returned  from  dinner.  Jeff,  who  had  gone  back 
to  meet  them,  brought  them  on  board,  next  go- 
ing back  to  await  the  arrival  of  Third  Officer 
Costigan  and  the  crew.  Dr.  Gray  hastened  be- 
low, to  attend  to  Giddings,  and  to  keep  him 
quiet,  also,  after  the  crew  should  come  on 
board. 

As  for  Captain  Tom,  after  receiving  Ab  Per- 
kins '&  report  that  all  was  well  aboard,  he  went 
to  his  own  cabin,  calling  Joe  Dawson,  through 
the  speaking  tube,  to  join  him.  Here  Joseph 
Baldwin  found  both  youngsters. 

"Captain  Halstead,  how  much  did  you  spend 
on  my  account,  to-night?"  asked  the  owner. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  79 

"Altogether,  sir,  twelve  dollars  on  the 
guide. ' ' 

"Never  mind  about  any  change,  then,"  re- 
joined Mr.  Baldwin,  passing  over  a  bank  note. 

"I  think  I  can  make  change  for  that,  sir," 
retorted  Skipper  Tom,  his  color  rising.  "I'm 
not  out  after  Hips,'  you  know,  sir,"  he  added, 
with  a  smile. 

Producing  a  roll  of  money  from  an  inner 
pocket,  Halstead  counted  out  eighty-eight  dol- 
lars, which  he  handed  to  the  owner. 

"You  may  refuse,  now,  but  I  shall  be  even 
with  you  later,"  remarked  Joseph  Baldwin. 
"And  now,  Captain,  as  soon  as  you  can,  after 
the  crew  comes  aboard,  I  want  you  to  put  out 
to  sea.  I'll  give  you  more  explicit  orders  as 
soon  as  we're  seven  or  eight  miles  west  of  the 
coast." 

"Very  good,  sir,"  replied  Captain  Tom,  sa- 
luting as  the  owner  turned  to  leave  the  cap- 
tain's cabin. 

"You've  been  running  into  a  bit  more  excite- 
ment, have  you!"  queried  Joe,  smiling. 

"A  bit,"  laughed  Halstead.  Dawson  asked 
no  further  questions. 

At  a  few  minutes  after  midnight  Mr.  Costigan 
returned  with  his  shore  party. 

"It's  your  watch  below,  Mr.  Costigan,  until 
eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,"  First  Officer  Ab 


80          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Perkins  informed  the  third  officer.  "When  you 
are  called  to  turn  out  we'll  be  at  sea." 

' l  Very  good,  sir, ' '  replied  Costigan,  and  went 
below  to  seek  his  berth.  Neither  the  third 
officer  nor  any  of  the  crew  had  any  suspicion 
that  anything  unusual  had  happened  this 
evening. 

"Where's  Mr.  Costigan?"  inquired  Captain 
Halstead,  coming  forward. 

"Gone  below  to  sleep,  sir,"  Ab  replied. 

"Then  I'm  afraid  you'll  have  to  rout  him  out. 
He'll  have  to  stay  on  deck  until  he  has  piloted 
us  through  the  Golden  Gate.  I  want  to  be 
under  way  within  five  minutes." 

Somewhat  chagrined,  Ab  Perkins  sent  one  of 
the  crew  below  for  the  third  officer.  Costigan 
was  speedily  in  evidence. 

Now,  one  of  the  motors  began  to  chug  briskly 
below,  and  the  two  bow  anchors  came  speedily 
up,  being  stowed  by  the  watch.  Joe  was  in  the 
engine  room  with  Jed  Prentiss,  while  Captain 
Tom  Halstead,  feeling  prouder  and  happier 
than  ever  in  his  life  before,  climbed  to  the 
bridge  up  behind  the  pilot  house.  After  him 
went  Dick  Davis,  whose  watch  it  was  to  stand. 
Mr.  Costigan,  after  seeing  the  anchors  stowed, 
started  for  the  bridge  also. 

"Give  the  engine  room  slow  speed  ahead, 
Mr.  Davis,"  directed  Tom. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  81 

Dick  gave  the  bell-pull  at  the  bridge  rail  the 
required  jerk.  The  "  Panther "  began  to  move 
gracefully  ahead,  while  Mr.  Costigan,  with  the 
pilot-house  speaking  tube  in  his  hand,  called 
down  the  helmsman's  orders. 

"Dick,  this  is  the  real  thing!'7  whispered 
Tom  Halstead,  jubilantly,  in  his  comrade's  ear 
while  Costigan  was  busy  at  the  speaking  tube. 

"It's  as  fine  as  bossing  a  liner,"  rejoined 
Dick  Davis,  enthusiastically. 

"Better!"  declared  Halstead. 

Dick  presently  signaled  the  engineer  for  more 
speed.  The  "Panther"  ploughed  through  the 
waters  of  the  bay,  toward  the  Golden  Gate. 

As  Tom  Halstead  peered  through  the  night 
ahead  he  felt  another  ecstatic  thrill.  It  was  all 
so  fine,  so  glorious!  No  doubt  it  was  better 
for  him,  at  this  moment,  that  he  could  not  fore- 
see all  that  lay  ahead  of  him. 


CHAPTEE   VII 

DICK    TAKES    THE    KESCUE   BOAT    TRICK 

IT  wasn't  long  before  First  Officer  Ab  Perk- 
ins also  climbed  the  stairs  to  the  bridge. 

"If  this  craft  runs  on  the  rocks,  it  won't 
be  for  want  of  officers  at  their  post,"  laughed 
Skipper  Tom,  gleefully. 

6—  The,  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


82          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"I  couldn  't  keep  away, ' '  confessed  Ab.  i  '  It 's 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I've  ever  stood  on  a  real 
bridge  by  right.  Oh,  but  this  is  a  different 
thing  altogether  from  the  tiny  bridge-deck  of  a 
fifty-foot  boat!" 

Third  Officer  Costigan  paid  no  heed  to  the 
motor  boat  boys.  Though  Costigan  had  never 
held  higher  rank  than  he  now  enjoyed,  standing 
watch  on  a  bridge  was  no  new  sensation  for  him. 
The  young  Irishman  thought,  mainly,  of  the  time 
when  he  would  have  the  ' i  Panther ' '  through  the 
Gate  and  well  off  the  coast.  Then  he  could  turn 
in  below. 

Presently  a  fifth  person  joined  the  little  squad 
on  the  bridge.  It  was  Joseph  Baldwin. 

"You've  a  clear  night  and  an  easy  sea,  Cap- 
tain, "  smiled  the  owner.  "It's  a  fortunate  sort 
of  start  for  you. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir." 

"When  you're  well  clear  of  the  Gate,  Captain, 
look  in  on  me  down  in  the  main  cabin,  and  I'll 
give  you  your  sailing  orders  for  the  night. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir." 

Halstead  knew  his  own  dignity  on  the  bridge. 
He  was  on  duty,  and  did  not  attempt  to  engage 
the  owner  in  any  conversation  other  than  that 
which  concerned  his  present  duties.  Mr.  Bald- 
win went  below  just  after  the  "Panther's"  prow 
was  turned  into  the  beginning  of  the  Golden 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  83 

Gate,  that  magnificient  approach  to  San  Fran- 
cisco harbor.  The  Gate  is  some  two  miles  long, 
and  nearly  a  mile  wide,  with  an  abundance  of 
deep  water  for  the  passage  of  the  largest  .craft 
afloat. 

"What  speed,  sir!"  asked  Dick  Davis. 

"Ten  miles  is  fast  enough  in  this  channel, 
isn't  it,  Mr.  Costigan?"  inquired  the  young 
captain. 

"About  as  much  as  is  best,  sir." 

Dick,  at  a  sign  from  Halstead,  communicated 
the  order  to  the  engine  room.  Twelve  minutes 
later  the  ' i  Panther ' '  was  clearing  the  Gate,  leav- 
ing a  track  of  foam  behind  her  as  Davis  signaled 
for  increased  speed. 

Joe,  leaving  his  first  assistant  below  at  the 
motors,  now  joined  the  bridge  squad. 

1 '  If  there 's  nothing  more,  Captain, ' '  suggested 
Dawson,  "I'll  turn  in  below  for  the  night." 

Captain  Halstead  nodded.  Soon  afterwards 
lie  went  below,  to  the  main  cabin. 

"I've  come  to  report  for  orders,  Mr.  Bald- 
win," he  announced. 

"They're  simple  enough,"  replied  the  owner. 
"Clear  the  coast  by  some  twenty  miles;  then 
cruise  south,  at  not  too  great  speed — say,  about 
twelve  miles  an  hour. ' ' 

"Do  these  orders  hold  until  changed,  sir?" 

"Yes,  Captain." 


84          THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Tom  saluted,  then  turned  as  though  to  leave 
the  cabin,  but  Mr.  Baldwin  called  him  back. 

"You're  not  needed  on  the  bridge  yet,  Cap- 
tain. .  Remain  with  us  a  little  while,  if  you  feel 
like  it.  You  can  see  that  Dr.  Gray  is  keeping 
his  own  watch  down  here  in  the  main  cabin. ' ' 

At  that  moment  the  physician,  an  elderly  man, 
stepped  out  of  a  stateroom,  closing  the  door  after 
him. 

6  '  There !  My  patient  will  sleep  for  some 
hours,  I  think.  I'll  take  the  upper  berth  in  his 
room  to-night,  so  that  I  can  hear  him  and  attend 
to  him  if  he  wakes.  Ah,  good  evening,  Captain. 
Or  is  it  good  morning  1  I  have  been  told  of  your 
fine  work — on  land,  at  that. ' ' 

"Is  Giddings  going  to  be  in  anything  like  his 
right  mind  when  he  wakes  ? ' '  asked  Mr.  Baldwin. 

'  i  Oh,  in  a  general  way,  I  think  he  '11  know  what 
he's  saying,"  replied  the  physician.  "But  he 
won't  be  at  all  bright  before  thirty-six  hours 
have  passed.  Even  then  I  can't  guarantee  him. 
Opium  drives  him  to  the  verge  of  mania. ' ' 

When  several  of  the  others  had  engaged  in 
conversation,  and  the  doctor  had  taken  a  seat 
near  the  young  captain,  Tom  asked: 

"Is  opium  smoking  a  very  great  evil  in  San 
Francisco,  Doctor  ?  That  is,  do  very  many  take 
to  it?" 

"Not  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  white- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  85 

population,  I  am  glad  to  say,"  responded  the 
physician.  "Still,  when  the  hop  habit  does  get 
hold  of  our  white  people  it  works  fearful  havoc 
with  them.  Opium  and  morphine  streak  all  the 
crime  in  San  Francisco.  These  habits  are  the 
horrible  revenge  that  the  Chinaman  has  taken 
upon  the  city  for  the  persecution  the  Chinaman 
once  suffered  at  the  hands  of  our  hoodlums. ' ' 

"Then  opium  and  morphine  are  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  crime  and  vice  in  the  big  city 
we  have  just  left?"  asked  Halstead. 

"No;  I  won't  say  they're  responsible,"  re- 
plied Dr.  Gray.  i  i  But  they  color  the  wickedness 
of  San  Francisco  in  their  own  way.  There's  a 
heap  of  wickedness  in  every  large  city,  but  the 
crimes  and  vices  here  take  on  aspects  that  are 
tremendously  due  to  the  use  of  opium  and  mor- 
phine by  the  criminal  classes.  A  very  large  per- 
centage of  our  San  Francisco  jailbirds  use  either 
opium  or  morphine.  These  drugs  give  them  a 
lower  order  of  intelligence,  and  make  them  more 
cowardly,  though  often  more  desperate  when 
they  find  themselves  driven  into  a  corner.  Cap- 
tain Halstead,  be  sure  you  never  allow  yourself 
to  be  tempted  to  use  either  of  those  drugs. ' ' 

"Thank  you;  I  don't  believe  I  shall,"  smiled 
the  young  skipper.  i '  Especially,  after  what  I  've 
seen  to-night. ' ' 

' '  Great  as  the  curse  of  alcohol  is, ' '  added  Dr. 


86          THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Gray,  "the  bane  of  opium  is  ten-fold  greater. 
Injtwo  or  three  generations  it  would  ruin  any 
race." 

"Then  why  isn't  the  Chinese  nation  de- 
stroyed ?"  asked  Halstead. 

"Because,  although  we  have  imported  these 
dread  habits  from  China,  only  a  small  proportion 
of  the  Chinese  people  use  the  drugs.  Those 
who  do  are  the  outcasts  of  China. ' ' 

It  was  growing  late,  so  the  young  skipper  rose, 
inquiring  whether  the  owner  had  any  further  or- 
ders for  him. 

"None,  thank  you,  Captain,"  replied  Mr. 
Baldwin. 

Tom  thereupon  took  his  leave,  returning  to 
deck.  The  ' '  Panther ' '  was  now  miles  westward 
of  the  coast. 

"Ugh!"  shivered  young  Halstead,  as  he 
stepped  out  on  deck.  Though  it  was  February, 
the  air  had  been  all  but  balmy  in  town.  Out  on 
the  bay  there  had  been  a  little  more  chill  in  the 
air.  But  now,  out  on  the  wide  expanse  of  the 
ocean,  there  was  a  cold,  damp  wind  blowing  that 
seemed  to  bite  to  the  marrow  after  the  bright 
warmth  of  the  main  cabin. 

Tom  promptly  stepped  into  his  own  cabin, 
taking  down  his  deck  ulster  and  donning  it.  Then 
he  made  his  way  to  the  bridge,  where  Dick  Davis 
was  pacing  from  side  to  side. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  87 

"No ;  I  don't  want  any  ice  cream,  thank  you/' 
grinned  Dick,  as  his  captain  joined  him.  Davis, 
who  wore  a  reefer,  was  beating  his  arms  against 
his  sides  as  though  to  keep  warm.  "I've  been 
wishing,  Captain,  I  could  get  below  for  my 
ulster." 

"Go  ahead,"  nodded  Halstead.  "I'll  walk 
the  bridge  until  you  return."  Dick  needed  no 
urging,  but  made  speed  for  his  stateroom  below. 
When  he  came  back  he  looked  more  contented. 

1 1  Queer  climate,  this, ' '  he  remarked. 

"Yes,"  agreed  the  young  skipper.  "I'm  told 
the  thermometer  never  shows  a  very  low  mark- 
ing, but  that  the  night  air  chills  one  down  to  the 
marrow  of  his  bones. ' ' 

For  five  minutes  more  young  Halstead  re- 
mained on  the  bridge,  then  went  below,  after 
having  left  the  customary  instructions  to  call  him 
to  the  bridge  in  case  he  was  needed. 

"Well,  it's  great  to  walk  the  bridge  of  as  fine 
a  craft  as  puts  out  of  San  Francisco, ' '  Dick  told 
himself,  later  on  in  the  night.  "But  at  night 
it's  mighty  lonesome.  I  almost  wish  I  could  call 
one  of  the  deckhands  up  here  to  talk  to. ' ' 

Of  the  seven  seamen  of  the  crew,  one  was  as- 
signed to  work  under  the  first  officer's  orders 
during  the  daytime.  The  remaining  six  were 
divided  between  the  two  watches.  Of  the  three 
now  at  Davis 's  orders,  one  was  in  the  pilot  house, 


88  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the  quartermaster 
whenever  required.  A  second  seaman,  at  night, 
stood  out  far  forward  as  bow-watch.  The  third 
made  regular  trips  of  inspection  around  the 
yacht,  unless  ordered  to  some  other  duty. 

Jed  Prentiss,  sitting  all  alone  down  in  the 
motor  room,  made  the  sixth  of  those  who  were 
now  awake  on  board  the  "Panther."  At  star- 
board and  port  the  colored  running  lights 
gleamed ;  a  third  light,  white,  twinkled  from  the 
foremast-head.  On  the  bridge  stood  a  power- 
ful searchlight  whose  rays  could  be  turned  on  at 
will. 

Thus  manned,  the  "Panther"  swept  on  stead- 
ily over  the  ocean,  now  headed  south.  The 
solitary,  boyish  figure  pacing  the  bridge,  repre- 
sented in  the  night  the  brains  and  the  present 
master-hand  of  this  yacht,  which,  equipped  with 
a  single  three-inch  cannon  at  the  bow,  could 
have  outrun  or  destroyed  all  the  navies,  com- 
bined, of  ancient  times. 

Through  the  night  the  sea  roughened  a  good 
deal.  The  wind  blew  more  freshly,  coming 
down  off  the  land  from  the  northeast.  Still,  the 
yacht  was  in  no  labor  in  the  sea,  and  the  sky 
remained  bright  overhead.  So  the  second  offi- 
cer did  not  feel  it  necessary  to  disturb  the  rest 
of  the  captain. 

At  a  quarter  of  eight  in  the  morning,  however, 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  89 

with  the  sun  hidden  behind  a  haze,  Dick  pressed 
the  button  that  sounded  the  electric  vibrating 
bell  over  Tom  Halstead 's  berth.  Then  Davis 
picked  up  the  mouthpiece  of  the  speaking  tube 
to  the  pilot  house. 

"Call  the  port  watch,"  directed  Dick,  when 
the  seaman  had  answered. 

Captain  Tom  came  up  on  the  bridge,  pulling 
on  his  ulster  as  he  came.  He  greeted  Dick,  then 
stood  looking  about  at  the  sky. 

"It  has  freshened  up  a  good  deal  in  the 
night,"  remarked  the  young  skipper. 

"Yes;  I  thought,  sir,  you'd  want  to  see  the 
weather  while  the  watch  was  changing. ' ' 

Third  Officer  Costigan  was  not  long  in  appear- 
ing, greeting  his  two  superior  officers  as  lie 
reached  the  bridge. 

"Does  this  weather  spell  trouble  coming  on 
this  coast,  Mr.  Costigan?"  questioned  Halstead. 

"It'll  most  likely  turn  rougher,  sir.  Some- 
times we  get  a  gale  out  of  the  northeast  in  Feb- 
ruary, though  not  as  often  as  you  do  on  the  At- 
lantic. That's  all  I  can  say,  sir.  How's  the 
glass !  The  barometer,  you  see,  sir,  is  behaving 
like  a  gentleman  at  present. ' ' 

As  Dick  left  the  bridge  at  the  changing  of  the 
watch,  Tom  followed  him.  Halstead  went  to  his 
own  cabin,  where  he  ordered  his  breakfast 
served.  This  meal  eaten,  the  young  skipper, 


90          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

who  still  felt  the  fatigue  of  late  hours  the  night 
before,  threw  himself  down  on  a  divan.  Though 
he  had  not  intended  to  sleep,  in  less  than  five 
minutes  Tom  Halstead  had  traveled  all  the  way 
to  the  land  of  Nod. 

Nor  did  the  increased  rolling  and  pitching  of 
the  " Panther "  disturb  him;  if  anything,  it 
lulled  the  young  skipper  into  sounder  slumber. 

By  ten  o'clock  the  gale  was  going  more  than 
forty  miles  an  hour.  At  eleven  Ab  Perkins 
turned  the  knob  of  the  door,  stepping  inside. 
As  Ab  stood  there  looking  at  the  occupant  of 
the  divan,  moisture  dripped  from  the  ulster  of 
the  first  officer. 

"I  guess  we  need  you  on  deck,  sir,"  roared 
Ab,  shaking  the  young  captain's  shoulder.  In 
a  twinkling,  Halstead  was  awake.  In  another 
instant  he  was  on  his  feet. 

"Weather  is  booming  a  bit,  eh ! "  cried  Captain 
Tom,  eagerly. 

"Nothing  near  as  much,  sir,  as  this  craft  can 
stand  with  comfort,"  Ab  responded.  "But 
we're  coming  up  with  a  schooner  under  bare 
poles  and  wallowing  badly.  Foretop-mast  blown 
away,  too,  and  some  of  the  bowsprit  missing." 

' i  Then  you  did  right  to  call  me, ' '  rejoined  Hal- 
stead,  pulling  on  his  shoes  swiftly,  and  standing 
up  to  don  his  cap  and  reefer.  "I'll  go  on  the 
bridge  at  once." 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  91 

Baldwin  and  three  of  the  passengers  were  on 
deck  as  Captain  Tom  appeared.  Halstead 
nodded  their  way,  then  hurriedly  climbed  the 
bridge  stairs.  Now,  he  turned  to  take  a  look  at 
the  schooner.  She  lay  dead  ahead,  for  Costigan 
had  ordered  the  "  Panther  ?s"  course  altered  so 
as  to  speak  the  craft  in  distress.  She  was  still 
about  a  mile  distant,  but  for  a  keen-eyed  sailor 
it  needed  no  glass  to  make  out  the  fact  that  the 
three-master  was  in  utter  distress. 

"Hard  luck,  that,  in  only  a  forty-mile  blow," 
muttered  Tom. 

"Wind-gauge  shows  forty-eight,  sir,"  replied 
Mr.  Costigan. 

"Anyway,  someone  must  have  been  dozing  on 
that  schooner,  to  let  her  canvas  be  blown  away  in 
such  a  wind, ' '  contended  the  young  skipper. 

Then  Tom  picked  up  the  marine  glasses,  for  a 
good  look  at  the  craft. 

"Why,  confound  it,  she  has  nothing  left  but 
a  dinghy  at  the  stern  davits,"  muttered  Cap- 
tain Halstead.  "  I  'm  afraid,  Mr.  Costigan,  we  Ve 
got  to  get  out  our  own  boat." 

"I'm  afraid  so,  sir." 

"Then  tumble  out  the  starboard  watch." 

The  order  was  given  through  the  pilot  house 
speaking  tube.  The  sailor  down  there  with  the 
quartermaster  went  below  at  lively  speed,  rout- 
ing out  the  sleeping  watch. 


92  THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

By  the  time  they  were  on  deck  Tom  Halstead 
was  manoeuvring  the  motor  yacht  around  to 
leeward  of  the  wreck. 

"Schooner,  ahoy!"  he  bellowed  through  a 
megaphone,  from  the  bridge  end. 

"Yacht  ahoy!"  came  back  the  faint  answer 
on  the  breeze.  "This  is  the  schooner  *  Alert,' 
Seattle;  Jordrey,  master." 

"What  help  do  you  want,  < Alert'?" 

"We're  ready  to  abandon  our  vessel.  Send 
us  a  boat,  if  you  can." 

"Boat  it  is,  then,  Captain,"  Tom  bawled  back, 
lustily.  "Stand  by  to  help  our  boat  make  fast 
alongside  your  lee  quarter!" 

Then,  turning,  glancing  down  at  the  deck,  Tom 
called : 

"Mr.  Davis,  the  rescue  boat  is  the  second  of- 
ficer 's  trick !" 

' '  Glad  of  it,  sir, ' '  retorted  Dick,  his  eyes  glist- 
ening. 

"Lower  the  port  life-boat.  Take  four  men  at 
the  oars  and  one  for  the  bow.  You'll  have  to 
row.  The  power  tender  would  be  worthless  in 
this  sea.  Mr.  Perkins  will  take  the  bridge.  Mr. 
Costigan  and  the  quartermasters  will  help  you 
off,  Mr.  Davis." 

Officers  and  men  all  moved  with  perfect  dis- 
cipline. With  a  merry  roar  they  lowered  the 
life-boat.  A  boarding  gangway  was  lowered  at 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE  93 

the  side,  and  down  this  the  crew  of  the  life- 
boat scrambled.  Dick  Davis  took  his  place  at 
the  tiller. 

< '  Cast  off, ' '  he  commanded.  '  '  Shove  off.  Let 
fall  oars.  Now,  then — at  it,  hearties ! ' ' 

From  owner  and  passengers  a  cheer  went  up 
as  the  boat  put  off  in  such  famous  style.  In 
another  instant,  however,  the  boat  tossed  like  a 
cork  on  a  high,  rolling  wave.  Then  it  went 
down  in  the  hollow  between  two  billows.  It  was 
up  in  sight,  an  istant  later.  The  men  at  the 
oars  were  doing  their  work  with  a  will.  Over 
the  water  struggled  the  life-boat,  and  then  turned 
to  come  up  under  the  lee  quarter  of  the  schooner. 

Suddenly  Captain  Tom  Halstead  clutched  des- 
perately at  the  bridge  rail,  his  face  going  deathly 
white. 

"Merciful  heaven !"  he  quivered,  staring 
hard.  For,  near  the  crest  of  a  wave,  the  life- 
boat heeled.  Another  big  wave  caught  her. 

Dick  Davis  and  the  boat's  crew  had  been 
hurled  from  the  overturning  boat ! 


94          THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 
CHAPTEE   VIII 

THE  REAL  KENNEBEC  WAY 

THE   young   skipper    of    the    " Panther" 
brushed  his  hand  past  his  eyes. 

It  was  no  dream,  no  trick  of  the  vision. 
The  life-boat  was  overturned,  riding  keel  up- 
ward, while  two  of  its  crew  clung  desperately  to 
the  keel.  A  third  head  could  be  seen  bobbing 
on  the  water.  What  had  become  of  the  other 
three  human  beings? 

6  i  Mr.  Perkins,  take  command  of  the  '  Panther, ' 
ordered  Tom,  hoarsely.  "Mr.  Dawson,  you  and 
Mr.  Prentiss,  with  two  of  the  quartermasters 
and  the  remaining  seaman,  stand  by  the  star- 
board life-boat.  I'll  go  in  charge. " 

All  those  ordered  sprang  to  their  posts.  Like 
a  flash  the  davits  were  swung  around  outward, 
other  hands  loosening  the  lowering  tackle. 

"Captain,  this  is  madness, "  remonstrated  Mr. 
Baldwin.  "If  that  boat  couldn't  ride  the  water, 
this  one  can't." 

"This  one  must,"  retorted  Captain  Tom. 
"They're  our  own  shipmates  in  the  water  over 
there.  Stand  by  to  lower!" 

"Captain,  I  protest!"  cried  Baldwin. 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  then,  sir,  and  do  your 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  95 

protesting  in  private, "  came,  sternly,  from  the 
young  skipper. 

Before  those  flashing  eyes  Mr.  Baldwin  took 
a  step  backward.  At  sea  the  captain,  not  the 
owner,  commands,  and  Joseph  Baldwin  quickly 
realized  i-t. 

" Captain  I"  roared  down  Ab  Perkins's  voice 
from  the  bridge. 

On  the  poin.t  of  giving  the  lowering-away 
order,  Tom  turned  to  look  where  the  first  officer 
pointed. 

In  another  second  Captain  Halstead  com- 
manded, hoarsely : 

i '  Stand  by  your  posts  at  the  davits ! ' ' 

Then  he  darted  forward  along  the  rail,  taking 
in  the  inspiring  sight  that  greeted  his  eyes. 

Though  Dick  Davis  had  met  with  bad  luck,  he 
did  not  mean  to  let  it  turn  into  disaster. 

Seeing  two  of  his  boat's  crew  safe  for  the  mo- 
ment, Dick  succeeded  in  helping  two  more  sail- 
ors to  gain  the  boat.  Still  another  was  making 
stubborn  headway  over  the  waves  toward  the  side 
of  the  schooner,  where  one  of  the  crew  of  the 
wreck  stood  ready  to  cast  a  rope. 

And  now  the  master  of  the  "Alert"  made  a 
splendid  cast  with  a  line  that  shot  far  out,  un- 
coiling until  it  lay  acros  the  overturned  boat. 

"Good  old  Dick!"  breathed  young  Halstead, 
as  he  saw  his  second  officer  catch  the  rope  and 


96          THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 


pass  the  end  quickly  back  past  the  others  who 
clung  to  the  keel  of  the  overturned  life-boat. 

The  swimmer  had  now  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  rope,  and  was  being  helped  up  to  the  schoon- 
er 's  deck.  Dick  and  the  remaining  men,  besides 
holding  onto  the  overturned  boat,  were  slowly 
aiding  those  at  the  schooner's  rail  to  haul  them 
to  greater  saftey. 

When  Halstead  saw  the  overturned  boat  made 
fast  along  under  the  schooner's  lee  he  turned  to 
shout  back : 

t '  Swing  in  the  davits,  but  stand  by.  We  may 
need  our  boat  yet. ' ' 

Dick  Davis,  however,  aided  by  his  own  men 
and  those  on  the  derelict,  was  working  hard  to 
right  the  life-boat.  When  they  succeeded  a 
great  cheer  went  up  from  the  watchers  on  the 
"Panther." 

'"Shall  I  go  in  closer,  sir!"  The  question 
came  from  Parkinson,  the  chief  steward,  who, 
when  Captain  Tom  made  such  a  draft  for  a  sec- 
ond crew,  had  been  sent  to  the  wheel  house. 

"Get  your  orders  from  the  bridge,"  Tom 
called  back  to  him. 

Though  Davis  had  lost  his  oars  in  the  upset, 
the  master  of  the  "Alert"  T7as  able  to  supply 
others.  Now  the  loading  of  the  life  boat  began. 
On  the  return  trip  Dick  was  able  to  have  six  oars- 
men. All  hands  stowed  themselves  away  in  the 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE  97 

life-boat,  Captain  Jordrey  coming  last  of  all, 
with  his  log,  papers  and  instruments.  Then 
Davis  gave  the  order  to  shove  off. 

"Our  friend  is  taking  a  big  passenger  con- 
tract, on  such  a  rough  sea, ' '  Tom  muttered,  un- 
easily, to  Joe  Dawson,  who  had  joined  him. 
"But  Dick  will  pull  it  through,  if  anyone  can." 

The  life-boat,  which  was  not  of  the  largest 
size,  lay  low  in  the  water  as  she  set  out  on  her 
return.  Every  now  and  then  one  of  the  waves 
broke  with  a  choppy  crest,  to  be  succeeded  by  a 
long,  rolling  mass  of  water  that  threatened  to 
fill  and  overwhelm  the  boat.  Dick  Davis,  how- 
ever, standing  up,  with  one  hand  on  the  tiller 
and  one  knee  against  it,  handled  his  little  craft 
with  a  master's  skill. 

"Your  friend  is  a  wonderfully  good  officer, 
Captain, "  cried  Joseph  Baldwin,  enthusias- 
tically. 

"Any  of  my  other  officers  could  do  as  well, 
sir,"  Tom  replied,  calmly.  "It's  the  way  of  the 
Motor  Boat  Club  training,  and  its  effect  on  boys 
of  sea-roving  stock." 

Yet  there  were  half  a  dozen  times,  on  that 
perilous  return  trip,  when  those  on  the  deck  of 
the  "Panther"  held  their  breath,  their  pulses 
moving  faster. 

At  just  the  right  moment  Ab  Perkins  swung 
the  craft  around  somewhat  to  starboard,  then 

y—The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


98  THE    MOTOK   BOAT    CLUB 

headed  in  so  that  Dick  Davis  was  able  more 
quickly  to  have  the  life-boat  up  under  the  yacht's 
•broad  lee. 

Then,  in  a  moment  of  relief,  falls  and  tackle 
were  made  fast  to  the  boat,  and  the  rescued  men 
began  coming  up  over  the  side  like  so  many 
squirrels. 

"Where's  your  captain?"  demanded  Master 
Jordrey,  as  he  came  over  the  side.  "I  want  to 
tell  him  that  that  boy  officer  of  his  is  worth  a 
dozen  of  some  kinds  of  men  I've  seen." 

"I'm  captain  here,  at  your  service,  sir,"  Tom 
announced,  with  a  smile.  Jordrey  stared  hard, 
for  Tom  was  plainly  much  younger  than  Davis. 

"What  is  this?"  gasped  the  master  of  the 
"Alert."  "A  juvenile  orphan  asylum  afloat, 
without  the  teachers?  But  no  matter  who  you 
are,  you  know  how  to  handle  boats,  large  and 
small.  My  respects,  Captain." 

The  two  mates,  cook  and  crew  of  the  schooner 
were  pressing  forward.  Costigan  returned  to 
the  bridge,  while  Ab  came  down  to  the  deck 
again,  attending  to  the  hoisting  and  stowing  of 
the  life-boat.  Halstead  grasped  the  hand  of 
Dick  Davis  as  he  came  over  the  side,  looking  at 
him  with  a  gaze  full  of  appreciation. 

"Where  are  you  bound,  Captain  Halstead?" 
inquired  Captain  Jordrey,  a  man  of  some  forty 
years. 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE  99 

"Cruising,"  Tom  replied.  "According  to 
the  owner's  whim  or  orders.  But  we  can  stow 
your  people  away  somewhere  on  the  boat  until 
we  make  port,  or  pass  some  other  craft  in 
smoother  water.  There's  an  extra  stateroom 
forward,  below,  Captain  Jordrey,  that  you  can 
have. ' ' 

There  were  also  three  berths,  not  in  use,  in 
the  forecastle.  For  the  rest  mattresses  were 
laid,  at  need,  on  the  forecastle  floor. 

"It  serves  my  owners  right  to  lose  the 
schooner,"  grumbled  Jordrey.  "The  canvas 
was  worn  out.  I  put  in  a  requisition  for  new 
sets  of  sails  before  leaving  port,  but  they 
wouldn't  let  me  have  them." 

Joseph  Baldwin  approached  Davis  while  he 
and  Tom  were  talking  on  the  deck. 

"All  I  want  to  say,  Mr.  Davis,"  explained 
the  owner,  "is  that,  every  time  I  see  you  Motor 
Boat  Club  boys  do  anything  new  it  only  makes 
me  more  and  more  glad  that  you're  on  my 
craft" 


100    THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB 
CHAPTER  IX 

THE    CHASE    OF    THEIR   LIVES 

IT  was  Saturday  forenoon  when  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  "Alert"  were  taken  from 
the  wreck.  By  Sunday  morning  the  sea 
was  running  smoothly  after  the  short  gale.  On 
this  latter  morning  the  steamer  from  San  Diego 
to  San  Francisco  was  sighted  and  hailed,  and 
Captain  Jordrey  and  his  men  were  transferred 
to  her. 

At  this  time  the  "Panther"  was  cruising 
leisurely,  first  north,  then  south,  out  of  sight  of 
land,  and  at  a  mean  distance  of  some  two  hun- 
dred miles  from  the  Golden  Gate. 

On  this  Sunday  morning  young  Gaston  Gid- 
dings  appeared  on  deck.  He  appeared  to  have 
entirely  recovered  from  his  late  debauch, 
though  his  eyes  lacked  their  natural  luster. 
He  was  tastefully  attired  in  a  new  suit  and  top- 
coat taken  from  his  wardrobe  on  board.  He 
and  Joseph  Baldwin  walked  much  together, 
talking,  and  once  in  a  while  Mr.  Ross  joined 
them. 

"Captain,"  called  the  owner,  as  young  Hal- 
stead  stepped  on  deck. 

"Yes,  sir,"  responded  Tom,  approaching. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          101 

"Mr.  Giddings  understands  the  part  you 
played  Friday  night,"  went  on  Mr.  Baldwin, 
in  a  low  voice. 

"And  I  wish  to  thank  you,  of  course,"  put 
in  Giddings,  holding  out  his  hand,  though  it 
seemed  to  the  young  skipper  that  his  own  pres- 
sure was  not  very  cordially  returned. 

"You're  welcome,  of  course,  Mr.  Giddings," 
smiled  Halstead,  "though  I  hope  I  shall  never 
have  a  chance  to  render  the  same  service 
again. ' ' 

"I  hope  not,"  sighed  the  young  man. 
Though  Tom  did  not  stare  impertinently,  he 
looked  into  the  young  man's  face  long  enough 
to  note  the  lifelessness  depicted  there,  and  the 
weakness  of  the  mouth. 

i  i  It  seems  queer  to  think  of  such  a  young  fel- 
low, and  such  a  pulseless  piece  of  putty,  being 
president  of  a  great  bank,"  thought  Tom  to 
himself.  "However,  of  course,  if  he  inherited 
the  controlling  stock,  he  could  see  to  it  that  he 
was  elected  to  the  post." 

Dr.  Gray,  though  he  did  not  often  speak  to 
Giddings,  hovered  on  deck,  keeping  a  rather 
watchful  look  over  the  young  man. 

During  the  afternoon  Tom  had  occasion  to  go 
to  the  main  cabin  briefly.  Mr.  Baldwin  looked 
around  from  the  table  at  which  he  sat  with  his 
guests.  He  nodded  to  the  young  captain,  then 


102         THE   MOTOR   BOAT   CLUB 

turned  back  to  the  pile  of  papers  that  he  had 
evidently  been  discussing  with  his  guests. 

"You  needn't  go,  Captain/7  called  the  owner 
over  his  shoulder..  "We  are  talking  business, 
but  we  know  you  have  no  ears,  away  from  your 
duties.  Now,  Giddings,  as  I've  been  explaining 
to  you,  we  need  ten  million  dollars  in  cash  to 
put  this  matter  in  motion.  Your  bank,  the 
Sheepmen's,  then,  will  advance  five  millions  on 
the  collateral  we  have  been  discussing,  and  the 
syndicate  of  banks  that  I  have  named  will  put 
up  the  other  five  millions.  That  will  start  the 
matter  in  motion.  Then,  when  we  come  to  the 
second  step  in  the  game,  we  shall  have  to  be 
ready  with  fifteen  millions,  and  of  this  money 
the  Sheepmen's— 

Tom  Halstead  heard,  yet  didn't  hear.  It  was 
all  a  matter  of  listless  indifference  to  him  what 
these  men  of  the  money  world  were  planning 
in  the  way  of  new  and  big  enterprises.  The 
young  captain  would  have  been  much  more  in- 
terested in  reading  the  "Panther's"  patent  log. 

"Are  you  certain,  Giddings,  that  you  have 
facilities  for  turning  over  the  five  millions  to 
us  at  once?"  asked  Mr.  Boss. 

"Why,  we've  been  calling  in  cash  for  some 
days,"  replied  Gaston  Giddings.  "We've  been 
preparing  for  this  demand  of  yours  for  money. 
Then,  you  know,  we  secured  the  whole  of  the 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          103 

Treasury  Department's  last  apportionment  of 
thousand-dollar  Treasury  notes.  We  have  three 
million  dollars '  worth  of  these  notes  locked  in 
our  vaults  at  this  moment.  That's  good  enough 
money  for  you,  isn't  it?"  demanded  the  young 
bank  president,  boastfully. 

6 1  Yes, ' '  muttered  Ross,  "  if  it 's  all  there  when 
we  get  back." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  demanded  Giddings, 
flushing. 

' i  I  guess  you  know  how  highly  I  esteem  your 
cashier,  Rollings  I " 

"He's  all  right,"  declared  Giddings,  hotly. 

"As  long  as  I  don't  own  any  stock  in  your 
bank  I'm  not  worrying,"  replied  Eoss,  rather 
shortly.  "It's  none  of  my  business,  young 
man;  yet,  as  one  of  your  father's  friends,  I 
can't  help  being  uneasy  over  the  thought  that 
Boilings  has  the  combination  of  your  main 
vault." 

"If  he  didn't  have,  I  could  hardly  take  these 
jaunts  out  to  sea,"  retorted  the  young  man. 

"Yes,  you  could;  Hawkins,  your  vice-presi- 
dent and  your  father's  before  you,  is  a  man  to 
be  trusted  with  anything.  Hawkins  could  go 
to  the  main  vault  whenever  necessary.  For 
Rollings  to  have  that  combination " 

"I  don't  want  to  hear  any  more  of  this!" 
cried  Giddings,  hotly,  rising  from  the  table. 


104         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"You  don't  need  to,  then/7  rejoined  Mr. 
Boss,  coolly.  "Yon  know  what  I  think." 

"Don't  get  in  a  huff,  Gaston,"  put  in  Joseph 
Baldwin,  briskly.  "Boss  has  told  you,  plainly, 
in  so  many  words,  just  what  other  friends  of 
yours  think  of  Boilings.  He's  an  able  banking 
man,  but  none  of  us  think  too  highly  of  his 
honesty.  You'll  find  that  two  of  your  own 
directors,  Mr.  Pendleton  and  Mr.  Howe,  who  are 
here,  agree  with  Mr,  Boss  and  myself." 

Mr.  Howe  remained  silent,  tapping  the  table 
with  a  pencil,  but  Mr.  Pendleton  said,  slowly : 

"Oh,  I  guess  Frank  Boilings  is  all  right. 
Still,  I  wish,  with  the  others,  that  he  didn't 
have  such  easy  access  to  three  millions  of  dol- 
lars in  bills  of  such  large  denomination  that  the 
whole  sum  could  be  carried  off  in  a  satchel." 

"Gentlemen,"  announced  Giddings,  rather 
stiffly,  "when  we  reach  San  Francisco  to-mor- 
row morning,  and  find  that  the  money  is  all 
safe,  I  shall  consider  that  I  have  the  apology 
of  each  one  of  you  for  the  doubts  thrown  at  my 
friend,  Frank  Boilings,  behind  his  back." 

That  was  the  last  that  Tom  Halstead  heard, 
for  he  left  the  cabin.  At  eight  o'clock  that 
evening,  however,  the  young  skipper  received 
his  orders  from  Mr.  Baldwin  to  make  San  Fran- 
cisco at  ten  the  following  forenoon.  Almost  to 
the  minute  the  yacht's  bow  anchors  were  let  go 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          105 

at  her  usual  moorings  in  San  Francisco  Bay. 
The  power  tender  was  lowered  over  the  side, 
to  take  Mr.  Baldwin  and  his  guests  ashore, 
Quartermaster  Bickson  going  along  to  handle 
the  boat. 

"Come  along  with  us,  if  you  like,  Captain, " 
invited  Mr.  Baldwin.  "After  we  get  through 
our  business  at  the  bank  our  party  will  lunch 
at  one  of  the  clubs.  It  ought  to  be  pleasant  for 
you. ' ' 

Tom  gratefully  accepted,  making  a  .swift 
change  from  his  uniform  to  ordinary  street 
dress. 

Gaston  Giddings  held  his  head  a  good  deal 
higher  than  usual  when  he  led  the  party  from 
carriages  into  the  sombre,  solid  old  building 
in  which  the  Sheepmen's  Bank  was  housed. 
The  young  president  conducted  his  party 
through  the  long  counting  room  and  into  the 
president's  office  at  the  rear. 

Here  Giddings  took  command,  as  by  right. 
Showing  his  guests  to  seats,  he  stepped  over  to 
a  massive  roll-top  desk,  unlocking  it  and  throw- 
ing the  roll  up.  Then  he  pressed  a  button  on 
his  desk.  One  of  the  bank's  messengers 
entered. 

"Ask  Mr.  Boilings  to  come  in,"  desired 
Giddings. 

The  messenger  soon  returned,  to  report: 


106         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Mr.  Boilings  is  out  at  this  moment.  Mr. 
Conroy,  the  first  assistant  cashier,  is  at  his 
desk." 

"Mr.  Conroy  will  do,  then." 

The  first  assistant  cashier  was  soon  in  the 
president's  office.  To  him  Giddings  explained 
about  the  loan  that  had  been  decided  upon. 

"I  will  prepare  a  list,  Mr.  Conroy,  of  stable 
securities  on  which  I  wish  you  to  raise  two  mil- 
lion dollars  in  cash  at  once.  But,  first  of  all, 
get  Mr.  Hawkins  to  go  to  the  main  vault  with 
you.  Tell  Mr.  Hawkins  that  I  wish  the  three 
millions  in  thousand-dollar  notes  brought  here. 
You  come  back  here  with  Mr.  Hawkins." 

"Can  it  be  delayed  for  just  a  little  while, 
sir!"  inquired  Conroy.  "Two  of  the  United 
States  bank  examiners  are  here,  prepared  to 
go  over  our  assets." 

"Bring  that  three  million  here  at  once," 
rapped  out  Gaston  Giddings,  rather  sharply. 
"The  bank  examiners  may  come,  in  here  and 
help  in  counting  it  here  in  my  office.  Now,  go; 
carry  out  my  orders,  precisely." 

Mr.  Conroy  departed  in  haste.  While  he  was 
gone  the  two  bank  examiners  entered  the  presi- 
dent's room.  Giddings  greeted  them,  asking 
them  to  take  seats.  Cigars  were  passed  about 
by  a  messenger.  The  air  was  rather  thick 
with  smoke  when  Conroy  returned,  accom- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          107 

panied  by  the  aged  vice-president,  Mr.  Haw- 
kins. The  latter  carried  a  satchel,  which  he 
took  to  the  large  centre  table. 

"The  money  there?"  inquired  Giddings. 

"Yes,  sir,"  responded  Mr.  Hawkins.  "I  un- 
derstood that  you  wished  to  look  it  over  here." 

As  Giddings  laid  down  his  cigar,  moving  over 
to  the  table,  the  two  bank  examiners  joined  the 
bank's  officers. 

Not  a  very  imposing-looking  pile  was  re- 
vealed when  Mr.  Hawkins  opened  the  satchel, 
drawing  forth  the  contents — three  not  very 
large  packages  covered  with  numerous  heavy 
seals. 

"As  I'll  probably  never  see  three  million 
dollars  again  in  my  life,  I'll  try  to  get  a  good 
look  now, ' '  thought  Tom  Halstead,  keenly  alive 
with  interest.  He  sat  at  some  distance  from 
the  table,  but  had  a  good  view. 

Gaston  Giddings  himself  opened  one  of  the 
packages.  He  broke  the  seals  deliberately, 
then  unfolded  many  wrappings.  Suddenly  the 
contents  of  the  package  fell  to  the  polished 
mahogany  surface  of  the  table,  followed  by  the 
frenzied  gaze  of  the  young  president. 

"Nothing  but  blank  brown  paper!"  he 
screamed,  hoarsely.  He  collapsed,  falling  with 
his  arms  across  the  table,  his  eyes  bulging  as 
though  an  epileptic  seizure  threatened  him. 


108         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

With  a  fearful  gasp  Henry  Hawkins  snatched 
up  another  package,  tearing  it  nervously  apart. 
Conroy  did  the  same  with  the  third  package. 
In  each  case  the  result  was  the  same. 

"  Three  million  dollars  worth  of  brown 
paper!"  clicked  one  of  the  bank  examiners. 

Gaston  Giddings,  moaning  piteously,  turned, 
tottering  back  to  his  desk,  where  he  fell  heavily 
into  his  chair,  next  letting  his  head  fall  for- 
ward on  his  arms.  Messrs.  Hawkins  and  Con- 
roy recovered  piuch  more  quickly.  They  darted 
out  into  the  counting  room,  but  presently  came 
back  to  report. 

Frank  Boilings  had  been  gone  more  than  an 
hour.  When  he  left,  he  had  carried  a  satchel. 
Some  fifteen  minutes  before  leaving  the  bank 
he  had  been  in  the  main  vault,  the  huge  steel 
door  of  which  he  had  afterwards  closed.  Con- 
roy was  now  in  that  vault,  with  several  sub- 
ordinates, engaged  in  making  a  rapid  survey  of 
the  other  contents. 

In  the  president's  room  Henry  Hawkins,  who 
no  longer  waited  to  consult  the  almost  para- 
lyzed young  president,  went  swiftly  to  the  tele- 
phone. The  Bankers'  Protective  Association, 
advised  by  telephone,  swiftly  had  half  a  dozen 
detectives  scurrying  to  the  bayside,  to  take  up 
the  trail  at  the  ferry  that  furnishes  the  sole 
avenue  to  the  east.  Others  of  these  detectives 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          109 

covered  the  docks  of  vessels  due  to  sail  that 
day  from  the  port  of  San  Francisco. 

Nor  did  the  bank  examiners  present  fail  to 
do  their  duty  promptly.  Within  a  few  minutes 
a  United  States  assistant  district  attorney  and 
two  deputy  marshals  arrived  at  the  bank. 

From  the  first  moment  none  who  had  knowl- 
edge of  the  affair  believed  Frank  Rollings,  the 
absent  cashier,  to  be  innocent.  The  assistant 
district  attorney  swiftly  drew  up  an  informa- 
tion, which  Giddings  and  Hawkins  signed  un- 
der oath.  The  law's  officer  rushed  off  to  get 
from  a  United  States  judge  a  brief  warrant 
authorizing  the  arrest  of  the  cashier,  for  the 
Sheepmen's  was  a  national  bank,  and  the  rob- 
bery came  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  United 
States  courts. 

Then  came  a  telephone  message  from  the 
Banker's  Association: 

'  '  One  of  our  detectives  has  learned  that  Boil- 
ings sailed,  an  hour  ago,  on  the  steam  yacht, 
' Victor.'  An  observer  at  the  Cliff  House  re- 
ports that  he  has  made  out  the  ' Victor,'  some 
miles  from  the  coast,  hull-down  to  the  south- 
west!" 

That  news  electrified  those  in  the  bank  presi- 
dent's office.  They  sprang  into  action.  Auto- 
mobiles were  summoned  to  the  door  of  the 
bank.  Joseph  Baldwin's  same  party  sped  back 


110         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

to  the  water  front.  Another  'phone  message 
summoned  the  assistant  district  attorney  and 
his  marshals  to  meet  them  at  the  landing  stage. 

It  was  all  carried  through  with  a  rush. 
Hardly  had  the  last  member  of  the  party 
stepped  over  the  side  of  the  "  Panther "  before 
Tom  Halstead  had  the  anchors  up  and  stowed. 
The  young  skipper  himself,  from  the  bridge, 
rang  the  engine  room  bell  for  half  speed  ahead, 
quickly  changing  this  to  full  speed. 

"Are  you  in  the  engine  room,  Joe  Dawson?" 
called  Skipper  Tom,  through  the  speaking  tube. 

"Eight  on  hand!"  came  the  answer. 

"Then  whoop  up  the  speed  for  all  you're 
worth.  Let's  have  it  all — every  bit.  "We're  on 
the  chase  of  our  lives!" 

Captain  Tom  Halstead  was  still  on  the  bridge 
when  the  Golden  Gate  was  left  behind.  He  was 
still  there,  more  than  two  hours  later,  when  the 
upper  spars  of  a  vessel  believed  to  be  the  "Vic- 
tor" were  made  out  on  the  far  southwestern 
horizon. 


AT  THE  GOLDEN  GATE    111 
CHAPTER  X 

COMING   TO    CLOSE,    DANGEROUS   QUARTERS 

«  TT  "T  AVE  any  of  you  gentlemen  ever  had  a 
good,  long  look  at  the  ' Victor '?" 
shouted  Captain  Tom,  leaning  down 
over  the  starboard  bridge  rail. 

"I  have,"  admitted  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Then  I  think  you'd  better  come  up  here,  sir, 
and  take  one  of  the  glasses." 

"Think  you've  sighted  her?"  demanded 
Baldwin,  eagerly,  as  he  raced  up  the  steps. 

"We've  sighted  some  yacht.  We've  got  to 
cut  down  a  few  miles  of  the  distance  between 
us  before  we  can  be  sure  about  the  stranger." 

Then,  while  Baldwin  held  the  glasses  to  his 
eyes,  Dick  Davis  showing  him  where  to  look, 
Halstead  snatched  up  the  engine  room  speak- 
ing tube. 

"Joe,  give  us  more  of  that  hot-foot,  if  it's 
in  the  old  motors.  We  think  we're  in  chase — 
but,  oh,  man,  man!  How  we  need  speed  now!" 

"I  can't  be  sure  of  anything  yet,"  com- 
plained Mr.  Baldwin,  in  a  depressed  tone. 
"We've  got  to  be  nearer,  and  see  the  hull  of 
the  craft  yonder,  before  I  can  feel  sure  about 
her." 


112         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"I'm  pretty  near  sure,  now,  that  it's  the 
6 Victor,'  muttered  Halstead,  after  he  had 
picked  up  his  own  marine  glass  and  used  it  for 
a  few  seconds. 

"Why  do  you  say  that?"  demanded  the 
owner. 

6  '  Our  masts  must  be  visible  to  the  commander 
of  the  other  craft.  As  if  he  suspected  pursuit, 
he's  crowding  on  steam.  See  that  big  cloud  of 
black  smoke  coming  up  between  the  other 
craft's  masts?" 

"Yes!    You're  right." 

"Now,  unless  a  captain  who  is  already  mov- 
ing under  good  speed  is  trying  to  escape  some- 
thing, he  doesn't  suddenly  throw  on  his  fur- 
nace drafts  in  that  fashion, ' '  went  on  Tom,  hur- 
riedly. l '  So,  Mr.  Baldwin,  I  think  you  may  feel 
sure  that  you're  speeding  along  in  the. wake  of 
the  < Victor.'  " 

"I'll  have  to  call  Jephson  up  here  and  show 
him  this,"  cried  the  owner,  moving  to  the 
bridge  rail. 

"All  right,  sir.  But  don't  ask  any  others 
up.  We've  got  a  hard  chase  in  hand,  and  don't 
want  enough  folks  up  here  to  interfere  with  the 
handling  of  the  ' Panther.'  " 

Jephson  started  quickly  forward  at  the  call. 

"Have  you  sighted  the  runaway  craft?" 
called  Mr.  Boss,  also  starting  forward. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          113 

"We  think  so,"  Mr.  Baldwin  answered. 
"But  don't  come  up  here.  Captain  Halstead 
doesn't  want  a  crowd  on  the  bridge.  All  the 
space  up  here  is  needed  for  handling  the 
yacht." 

Mr.  Jephson  saw  what  there  was  to  see.  He 
added  his  belief  that  they  were  in  the  wake  of 
the  "Victor." 

"Are  you  going  to  be  able  to  overtake  her, 
Captain!"  he  demanded,  eagerly. 

"We're  going  to  try, ".Tom  responded,  anx- 
iously. "We've  only  four  hours  of  daylight, 
or  so,  left  to  us.  If  we  can  get  close  enough, 
however,  we  ought  to  hold  the  ' Victor'  after 
dark  with  our  searchlight." 

"You'll  overtake  her,  of  course!"  declared 
Joseph  Baldwin,  abruptly. 

"Yet  the  i Victor'  is  said  to  be  a  very  fast 
boat,  sir." 

"So  is  the  'Panther,'  "  retorted  the  owner. 
"Besides,  Captain  Halstead,  we've  got  to  over- 
take her!" 

Tom  Halstead  took  up  the  mouth-piece  of 
the  engine  room  speaking  tube. 

"That  you,  chief?"  he  asked.  "I  think 
you'd  better  come  to  the  bridge,  watch  the 
chase,  and  see  what  you  have  to  beat." 

Joe  Dawson  came  immediately  to  the  bridge. 
Presently  he  used  the  tube,  calling  down  very 

8— The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


114         THE   MOTOK   BOAT    CLUB 

definite  instructions  to  Jed  Prentiss,  whose 
trick  it  was  at  the  motors. 

"Keep  a  close  eye  on  your  helmsman 's  work, 
Mr.  Davis,"  the  young  captain  directed.  "See 
to  it  that  he  doesn't  waver  a  hair's  breadth 
in  bearing  down  on  the  stranger.  Any  speed 
lost  in  steering  would  be  a  useless  waste." 

While  Joe  remained  on  the  bridge,  Halstead 
soon  went  to  the  deck  below.  Mr.  Baldwin  fol- 
lowed him. 

"If  you  can  make  the  ' Panther'  show  all  I 
think  there  is  in  her,  Captain,"  commented  the 
owner,  "then  we  should  overtake  that  other 
craft  and  have  this  chase  ended  in  a  few 
hours. ' ' 

"The  *  Panther'  is  doing,  now,  sir,  all  that 
she  is  capable  of  doing  under  her  motors  alone. 
The  result  of  this  race  depends  mainly  on  how 
well  the  steam  yacht  is  handled,  for  she  seems 
very  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  speedy  as  your 
yacht."  * 

"Is  the  'Panther'  going  at  absolutely  her  last 
quarter  of  a  mile?" 

"Chief  Engineer  Dawson  informs  me  that  he 
might  get  a  little  more  speed  out  of  the  motors, 
but  that  he  feels  it  wouldn't  be  altogether  safe 
to  try." 

"Wouldn't  a  hoist  of  sail  help  us?" 

"Not  with  the  wind  from  the  present  quar- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          115 

ter,"  Tom  replied,  thoughtfully.  "I  have  al- 
ready been  considering  that." 

"It  seems  hard^to  be  beaten, "  sighed  Joseph 
Baldwin.  "It  is  hard,  even,  not  to  find  our- 
selves racing  right  up  on  the  '  Victor/ 

"We  haven't  been  beaten  yet,  sir,"  smiled 
Halstead.  "Nor  are  we  beaten  as  long  as  we 
have  the  other  boat  in  sight." 

As  Baldwin  turned  and  stepped  over  to  the 
rail,  he  saw  Skipper  Tom  moving  away. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Captain?" 

"To  my  cabin,  sir,  to  take  a  nap." 

"Nap!"  echoed  the  owner,  in  great  amaze- 
ment. 

"Yes,  sir;  I  am  afraid  I  shall  be  up  about 
all  night.  Just  now  there's  a  chance  for  me  to 
store  up  some  sleep." 

"But  the  chase?" 

"Mr.  Davis  will  have  his  orders  to  call  me 
if  we  appear  to  be  losing  ground  at  all." 

Mr.  Baldwin  looked  his  astonishment.  He 
did  not  yet  know  the  Motor  Boat  Club  boys 
as  well  as  he  might  have  done.  Dick  Davis 
was  up  on  the  bridge,  keen-eyed  and  alert. 
Dick  knew  well  enough  what  to  do,  and  he 
could  call  the  young  captain  at  need.  Besides, 
Joe  Dawson  was  up  there  with  the  second  offi- 
cer, watching  the  relative  speeds  of  the  two 
boats. 


116         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"When  Tom  Halstead  turned  out  again  lie  had 
put  two  hours  of  sleep  into  his  supply  of  re- 
serve force. 

"How  do  we  stand,  now,  Mr.  Davis ?"  asked 
the  young  skipper,  reaching  for  the  speaking 
tube. 

"We've  been  gaming,  sir.  We  can  make  out 
the  upper  hull,  now.  Mr.  Baldwin  is  here  on 
the  bridge,  and  declares  the  stranger  is  the 
'Victor.'  One  of  the  deputy  marshals,  who 
knows  the  boat  well,  is  also  certain. " 

"Is  the  *  Victor'  burning  coal  as  hard  as 
ever?" 

"Just  as  hard,  sir." 

"And  we're  gaining?  That  shows  we  can 
overhaul  the  other  craft  in  time.  How's  the 
weather!" 

"Slight  haze,  Captain,  but  fine  weather,"  re- 
ported Dick  Davis. 

So  Captain  Tom  Halstead  felt  that  he  could 
still  safely  take  his  time,  for  he  expected  to  be 
all  night  on  duty.  He  indulged  in  the  luxury 
of  a  bath,  dressed  comfortably,  drew  on  his 
reefer,  then  leisurely  left  his  cabin,  ascending 
the  stairs  to  the  bridge. 

"I've  hardly  been  away  from  here,"  an- 
nounced Mr.  Baldwin. 

"I  doubt  if  I  shall  be,  to-night,  sir,"  Tom 
answered. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          117 

"You  speak  of  to-night  as  though  you 
thought  the  chase  would  last  through  the 
hours  of  darkness/' 

"And  doesn't  it  seem  likely  to  you  that  it 
will,  Mr.  Baldwin,  unless  something  happens 
to  the  'Victor'!"  »' 

"I  fear  I  was  never  built  for  slow,  patient 
work  like  this,"  sighed  the  financier.  "Gain- 
ing one  second  in  every  hour  would  wear  me 
out  in  time." 

Before  dark  Captain  Halstead  had  the  hull 
clearly  in  sight.  The  "Victor,"  however,  was 
still  some  five  miles  in  the  lead,  nor  did  the 
"Panther"  appear  to  be  gaining,  much  more 
than  half  a  mile  an  hour. 

It  was  Third  Officer  Costigan's  watch  on  the 
bridge,  by  this  time.  Dick  Davis,  however, 
did  not  feel  like  turning  in,  and  spent  much  of 
him  time  pacing  the  deck  forward,  keeping  a 
sharp  lookout. 

Just  before  dark  the  motor  yacht's  search- 
light was  turned  on.  A  few  minutes  later  its 
thin,  bright  ribbon  of  light  was  kept  almost 
constantly  turned  on  the  craft  ahead. 

Tom  Halstead  and  Joe  spent  a  comfortable 
amount  of  time  over  their  dinner  at  table  in 
the  captain's  cabin. 

"I  guess  Mr.  Baldwin  wonders  that  we  can 
take  any  comfort  at  this  sort  of  thing," 


118         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

laughed  Joe.  "I'll  wager  he  doesn't  give 
much  time  to  his  supper  to-night. " 

"Perhaps  we  wouldn't,  either,  if  we  owned 
considerable  stock  in  the  Sheepmen's  Bank,  as 
Mr.  Baldwin  does, ' '  murmured  Halstead.  ' t  For 
him,  and  for  some  of  the  others  aboard,  this 
race  is  for  tremendously  heavy  stakes.  I  wish, 
though,  that  Mr.  Baldwin  could  realize  that, 
even  if  we  do  eat,  and  even  nap,  we  are  strain- 
ing every  nerve  to  catch  up  with  the  other 
boat." 

Just  then  the  "buzzer  for  the  bridge  speaking 
tube  sounded.  Tom  was  able  to  reach  the 
mouthpiece  without  leaving  the  table. 

"Captain,"  reported  Mr.  Costigan,  "the 
craft  ahead  seems  to  be  making  somewhat  less 
speed." 

"Does  it  look  like  a  break-down?"  asked  the 
young  skipper. 

"Can't  say,  sir.  But  the  ' Victor'  must  be 
going  two  miles  an  hour  slower  than  she  was 
ten  minutes  ago." 

"That's  the  best  news  I've  heard,  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan. Watch  your  helmsman 's  work.  Let  me 
know  if  anything  more  happens.  Anyway,  I'll 
be  on  the  bridge  as  soon  as  I've  finished  din- 
ner. ' ' 

Joe,  who  had  jumped  up  while  he  heard  his 
chum  speaking,  now  looked  astonished. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          119 

"  Going  to  finish  your  dinner,  Tom,  after 
hearing  such  news  as  that!" 

"Yes.  Why  not!  Oh,  I'm  enthusiastic 
enough,  but  it  takes  gasoline,  not  enthusiasm, 
to  keep  motors  going.  You  might  call  the 
news  down  to  Jeff  Eandolph,  though,  and  see 
whether  he  thinks  he  can  put  on  any  more 
spurt  without  danger. " 

Jeff  Randolph  reported  that  the  moto»B  were 
going  at  top  speed. 

Chief  Steward  Parkinson  came  in  to  remove 
the  dishes  for  that  course.  His  face  was  glow- 
ing. 

"Mr.  Baldwin's  up  on  the  bridge,  Captain/' 
reported  the  steward. 

"I  thought  he  would  be,"  nodded  the  young 
skipper,  coolly. 

Twenty  minutes  later,  when  Captain  Tom  Hal- 
stead  had  finished  the  last  of  the  meal,  he 
rose,  donning  his  cap,  then  pulling  on  his  deck 
ulster. 

"Now,"  he  remarked,  quietly,  "I  think  I'll 
go  above  and  have  a  look." 

Joe  Dawson  followed  at  his  heels.  The  long 
beam  of  the  searchlight  trailed  out  over  the 
water,  its  further  end  resting  across  the  stern 
of  the  "Victor."  Mr.  Costigan  had  ordered 
a  sailor  to  the  bridge,  whose  sole  duty  was  to 
keep  the  searchlight  trained. 


120         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"This  race  can't  last  much  longer/'  cried 
Mr.  Baldwin,  gleefully. 

"The  present  indications,  sir,"  Tom  replied, 
"are  that  it  will  last  more  than  long  enough 
for  you  to  go  below  and  have  your  dinner,  Mr. 
Baldwin,  if  you  want  it." 

"I   think   I  will   go,"   laughed   the   owner. 
"Standing  up  here,  watching,  watching  all  the  ' 
time,  my  nerves  are  getting  thready.     You'll 
call  me,  of  course,  if— 

"When  we  get  near  enough  to  hail  the  other 
boat,  sir,"  Tom  Halstead  replied,  gravely. 

Dinner  was  not  quite  over  in  the  main  cabin 
when  Skipper  Tom  uttered  a  sudden  exclama- 
tion that  made  Costigan  wheel  about. 

The  "Victor"  was  palpably  slowing  down. 

"What  can  that  mean?"  demanded  Halstead. 

"A  crank-pin  loose,  or  some  other  trouble 
with  the  machinery,  sir?"  suggested  the  third 
officer. 

Tom  Halstead  quickly  summoned  the  sailor 
who  was  with  the  quartermaster  in  the  pilot 
house. 

6 '  Go  to  the  main  cabin,  with  my  compliments, 
and  tell  Mr.  Baldwin  that  the  other  craft  is 
slowing  down,"  ordered  Tom. 

There  was  a  rush  from  below.  The  assistant 
from  the  United  States  district  attorney's  office 
took  but  a  brief  look,  then  dived  below  to  find 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          121 

his  two  deputy  marshals.  These  two  officers 
followed  their  superior  to  the  deck,  stationing 
themselves  in  the  bow. 

"Captain,"  shouted  Mr.  Jephson,  "will  you 
go  up  close  enough  so  that  I  can  hail  them?" 

"When  we  overtake  the  steam  yacht,"  Cap- 
tain Halstead  shouted  back,  "I  shall  run  up  to 
starboard  of  her,  and  as  close  as  I  can  without 
danger  of  collision." 

"That  will  do  excellently,  Captain,"  assented 
the  district  attorney's  assistant. 

The  "Panther"  was  now  rapidly  closing  in 
on  the  distance  that  separated  the  two  craft. 
As  yet,  however,  the  motor  yacht  remained 
almost  fairly  astern. 

Suddenly,  from  one  of  the  stern  port-holes 
of  the  steam  yacht  there  came  two  red  flashes. 
A  bullet  crashed  through  the  glass  in  the  front 
window  of  the  "Panther's"  pilot  house.  Cap- 
tain Tom  was  standing  with  his  head  some  two 
feet  from  the  searchlight.  The  second  bullet 
whizzed  between  his  head  and  the  light. 

Almost  instantly  two  more  flashes  showed 
ahead. 


122    THE  MOTOR  BOAT  CLUB 
CHAPTER  XI 

GAS-TON   GIDDINGS   MAKES   TROUBLE 


'TT^HE  second  pair  of  bullets  passed  over- 
head, though  close  enough  for  their 
whistling  song  to  be  heard. 

In  a  jiffy  there  was  a  mad  scramble  to  get 
away  from  the  bridge.  Captain  Tom  Halstead 
and  Third  Officer  Costigan  had  that  place  to 
themselves. 

"  Throw  the  wheel  over  three  points  to  the 
starboard!  Hold  to  a  course  three  points  off 
the  present  one,"  called  Halstead,  sharply. 

"You  men  answer  with  your  revolvers,"  was 
Mr.  Jephson's  order. 

"Our  revolvers  wouldn't  carry  that  far,  sir," 
objected  one  of  the  deputy  marshals. 

"I  know  it,  but  let  those  scoundrels  discover 
that  we  have  firearms  'too,"  retorted  the  district 
attorney's  assistant. 

So  the  futile  revolver  shots  flashed  out.  In 
answer  a  rifle  bullet  carried  away  the  hat  of  one 
of  the  deputies. 

6  '  That  's  confounded  close  shooting,  '  '  coolly  ut- 
tered the  unhatted  one,  running  down  the  deck 
after  his  head  gear. 

Another  shot  flew  by  close  to  the  searchlight. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          123 

x 

"That's  the  mark  the  scoundrels  are  aiming 
at,"  muttered  the  young  skipper,  angrily. 
"Turn  off  the  current,  Mr.  Costigan,  and  I'll 
unship  the  light. ' ' 

This  done,  the  big  reflector  and  the  bulb  be- 
hind it  were  taken  down  to  the  pilot  house  by 
one  of  the  sailors. 

"You  confounded  pirates!"  roared  the  dis- 
trict attorney,  shaking  his  fist  in  the  direction 
of  the  "Victor." 

"That  was  actual  piracy,  wasn't  it!"  ques- 
tioned Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Nothing  else!"  retorted  the  assistant,  an- 
grily, as  he  came  down  aft  to  place  the  wheel 
house  between  himself  and  that  other  craft.  ' i  If 
we  ever  get  that  captain  and  crew  on  shore  we  '11 
make  'em  smart  in  a  trial  for  piracy ! ' ' 
.  Having  veered  off  the  course  of  direct  pur- 
suit, Captain  Halstead  was  now  steering  ahead, 
meaning  to  run  parallel  with  the  t  i  Victor. ' '  He 
kept  half  a  mile  away,  but,  even  had  the  other 
craft  lowered  its  running  lights,  the  starlight 
was  bright  enough  to  enable  the  bridge  officer  to 
keep  the  "Victor"  in  sight. 

<  <  rprv  {0  keep  just  this  distance,  Mr.  Costigan, " 
directed  Tom  Halstead. 

"Aye,  aye,  sir." 

Tom  then  descended  to  the  deck,  where  he 
sauntered  up  to  the  excited  group. 


124         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

" What's  your  guess,  Halstead,  as  to  the  mean- 
ing of  those  shots  ?"  questioned  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Well,  of  course,"  replied  Tom,  slowly,  "the 
master  of  that  other  yacht  would  be  glad  to  see 
our  searchlight  smashed.  That  was  one  reason 
for  the  firing.'7 

"And  another ?" 

"Why,  I  imagine,  sir,  those  people  want  us  to 
know  that  they  carry  rifles.  They  want  to  show 
us  the  folly  of  thinking  we  can  pursue  and 
board  them." 

"This  pursuit  should  really  have  been  under- 
taken by  a  naval  vessel  or  revenue  cutter, ' '  said 
Mr.  Jephson,  rather  disgustedly.  "One  shot 
from  the  bowgun  of  an  armed  vessel  would  bring 
that  yacht  lying  to  in  a  jiffy." 

' '  Humph ! ' '  grunted  the  practical  Mr.  Baldwin. 
"There  isn't  a  cutter  or  gunboat  in  San  Fran- 
cisco waters  fast  enough  to  overtake  either  of 
these  boats. ' ' 

"I  don't  understand,  sir,"  put  in  Halstead, 
quietly,  "why  you  haven't  had  a  wireles  tele- 
graph apparatus  installed  aboard  this  yacht. 
Why,  even  the  little  fifty-five  foot  boat  that  Daw- 
son  and  I  own  has  a  wireless  installation." 

"What  would  you  do  with  one,  if  you  had  it 
on  board  now?"  asked  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Do?"  repeated  Halstead.  "Why,  we  could 
signal  in  all  directions.  There  may  be  some 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          125 

fast  cruiser  or  torpedo  boat  destroyer,  out  of 
our  sight,  yet  within  reach  by  wireless.  If  we 
could  pick  up  one  such  vessel  now,  we  could  soon 
end  this  chase,  and  without  bloodshed.  Even  any 
foreign  war  vessel  would  answer,  for  all  war 
vessels  have  the  right  to  overhaul  and  capture 
pirates.  Any  warship  of  any  nation  in  the 
world  would  act,  now,  on  a  request  from  Mr. 
Jephson,  who  represents  the  United  States.  And 
such  help  may  be  not  twenty  miles  off,  but  we 
have  no  wireless  with  which  to  find  out. ' ' 

"As  we  haven't  a  wireless  installation,"  pur- 
sued Mr.  Baldwin,  "what  are  we  going  to  do  now, 
Mr.  Jephson?" 

"I  trust  you'll  continue  to  keep  that  other 
yacht  in  sight,"  replied  the  assistant  district  at- 
torney. "We  may  yet  meet  a  warship  or  a  reve- 
nue cutter." 

"Any  kind  of  a  vessel  we  meet  may  have  a 
few  rifles  on  board  that  we  could  borrow  or  buy, ' ' 
suggested  Captain  Tom. 

"Anyway,"  decided  Mr.  Baldwin,  "we'll  keep 
that  pirate  craft  right  in  sight  if  we  can,  and  as 
long  as  we  can.  We'll  trust  for  something  to 
turn  up  that  will  throw  luck  in  our  way. ' ' 

The  "Victor"  which  was  of  some  ten  feet 
greater  length  than  the  "Panther,"  looked  like 
a  boat  which,  despite  her  speed,  was  built  to 
carry  a  good  deal  of  coal. 


126         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

Yet,  through  the  next  few  hours  that  followed, 
no  attempt  was  made  by  those  handling  the 
steam  craft  to  get  her  best  speed  out  of  her.  It 
looked  as  though  her  sailing  master  and  engineer 
meant  to  save  some  coal,  now  that  the  "Panther" 
had  caught  up  and  could  keep  up.  Both  vessels 
continued  at  a  speed  of  some  sixteen  miles  per 
hour. 

Mr.  Baldwin  and  his  guests  remained  on  deck. 
So  did  young  Halstead,  who  had  decided  that  he 
must  now  do  with  but  little  sleep  while  the  chase 
continued  in  its  present  phase. 

"Any  sharp  little  sea-trick  might  enable  the 
other  fellows  to  slip  away  from  us, ' '  he  declared 
to  the  owner.  "Every  man  on  board  ought  to 
help  in  the  good  work  on  hand. ' ' 

At  about  eleven  o  'clock  the  young  skipper  left 
Mr.  Costigan  on  the  bridge,  and  went  below, 
though  he  did  not  turn  in. 

Nor  had  any  of  the  passengers  sought  their 
berths.  All  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  friends  were  on 
deck.  Young  Gaston  Giddings,  however,  paced 
nervously,  apart  from  the  rest. 

"He's  fretting  over  his  folly  in  keeping  Boll- 
ings  in  such  an  important  post,  and  giving  the 
rascal  the  chance  to  run  away  with  all  that 
money,  I  suppose,"  thought  the  young  skipper. 

Somehow,  Tom  could  not  help  watching  Gid- 
dings a  good  deal.  It  was  the  nervous  hitch  in 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          127 

the  young  man's  gait  that  first  caught  Halstead 's 
eye.  Presently  the  young  captain  of  the  "  Pan- 
ther "  strolled  slowly  by  Gaston  Giddings. 

"Confound  it,  what  a  queer,  restless  look  there 
is  in  the  fellow's  eyes,"  thought  Tom,  uneasy, 
though  he  could  hardly  have  explained  why. 

After  that  Halstead  watched  the  young  bank 
president  even  more  closely,  though  he  took 
pains  to  hide  the  scrutiny. 

A  request  from  Mr.  Jephson  called  the  cabin 
party  over  to  the  port  rail  to  watch  the ' l  Victor. ' ' 
The  instant  the  last  of  his  companions  had  gone 
forward,  and  had  passed  around  the  pilot  house, 
Giddings,  after  a  swift  look  about  him,  stole  into 
the  dining  saloon. 

Tom  Halstead,  ostensibly  lounging  behind  one 
of  the  life-boats,  saw  this  move. 

"Now,  what's  he  up  to!"  muttered  Tom. 
"Mischief,  judging  by  his  queer  antics.  We've 
mischief  enough  to  deal  with,  without  having  it 
take  place  right  on  board  our  own  boat ! ' ' 

Halstead  stole  forward  in  time  to  see  Giddings 
darting  down  the  staircase  into  the  main  cabin. 

"I'll  just  get  down  where  I  can  watch  this," 
muttered  Tom.  Concealed  near  the  foot  of  the 
staircase,  he  saw  Giddings,  with  some  sort  of  a 
small  tool,  prying  the  lock  of  Dr.  Gray's  medi- 
cine case  open. 

"Oho!"  muttered  Halstead,  as  he  saw  young 


128         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Mr.  Giddings  abstract  a  small,  screw-capped 
vial.  "There's  morphine  in  that  doctor's  out- 
fit, and  Giddings  has  guessed  it ! " 

Tossing  the  medicine  case  back  into  the  doc- 
tor's stateroom,  Gaston  Giddings  stole  up  the 
after-companionway  to  the  deck  aft. 

"With  all  our  other  troubles  aboard,  I  don't 
believe  we  want  any  morphine  maniacs  here!" 
muttered  Tom  Halstead,  excitedly. 

Giddings,  quivering  with  eagerness,  trembling 
with  aggravated  nervousness,  leaned  against  the 
stern  rail,  glancing  out  over  the  water  as  he  drew 
the  screw-capped  vial  from  his  pocket. 

Just  as  he  started  to  remove  the  cap  from  the 
bottle,  a  hand  shot  around  him  from  the  rear. 

The  young  skipper  of  the  '  '  Panther ' '  snatched 
the  vial,  remarking  coolly : 

"Mr.  Giddings,  you  don't  need  that  stuff,  and 
no  one  on  board  wants  you  to  have  it." 

With  a  swift  movement,  Halstead  dropped  the 
vial  into  one  of  his  pockets. 

"You  confounded  thief !"  hissed  Gaston  Gidd- 
ings. 

Swift  as  a  flash,  in  his  rage,  the  young  man 
sprang  at  the  youthful  skipper  of  the  yacht. 

"You'll  give  that  back  to  me,  or  go  over- 
board ! ' '  snarled  the  victim  of  the  drug  habit. 

"If  you  get  it,  it'll  be  after  I'm  overboard," 
snapped  back  Tom. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          129 

In  another  instant  Giddings 's  fingers  were 
wrapped  in  a  tight  hold  about  Tom's  throat.  The 
drug  maniac  seemed  possessed,  for  the  instant, 
of  the  strength  of  half  a  dozen  men. 

The  young  skipper  himself  was  no  weakling, 
but  now  he  had  his  hands  full. 

Even  had  he  been  so  minded,  he  could  not 
have  called  for  help.  Backward  and  forward 
the  pair  struggled  for  a  few  seconds.  Then  the 
young  skipper  found  himself  growing  weaker 
for  lack  of  air. 

With  a  triumphant  snarl  Gaston  Giddings 
forced  his  antagonist  to  the  stern  rail.  Still  Tom 
Halstead  fought  furiously,  silently,  with  that 
tight  grip  at  his  throat  making  his  brain  reel. 
He  realized  that  Gaston  Giddings  was  winning 
the  victory! 


CHAPTER   XII 

TOO-WHOO-OO  !      IS   THE   WOKD 

IN  that  last  desperate  moment  Tom  Halstead 
employed  the  trick  he  had  hesitated  to  use. 
He  raised  one  of  his  feet,  kicking  smartly 
at  the  left  knee-cap  of  his  assailant. 

With  a  groan,  Giddings  weakened  his  hold, 
for  the  pain  following  the  kick  was  intense. 
Throwing  both  his  arms  tightly  around  the 

g—  The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate, 


130         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

young  man,  Halstead  held  on,  drawing  himself 
back  to  the  deck  as  Giddings  fell  back. 

"You're  not  going  to  fool  me  that  way!" 
snarled  the  young  drug  maniac.  He  made 
another  spring,  trying  to  forget  the  pain  in  his 
knee. 

But  Halstead  had  regained  his  footing  fully. 
Now,  he  dodged,  then  closed  in,  tripping  Gid- 
dings and  throwing  him  heavily  to  the  deck. 

"What's  this?  What's  this  going  on!"  de- 
manded Joseph  Baldwin,  running  back  along  the 
port  side,  followed  by  Mr.  Eoss  and  Dr.  Gray. 

Halstead  was  now  on  top  of  his  assailant,  and, 
though  Giddings  still  tried  to  fight  with  fury, 
his  strength  was  deserting  him. 

"One  of  you  hold  him,"  urged  Captain  Tom, 
"and  I'll  get  up  and  explain." 

"Did  he  attack  you?"  insisted  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Well,  rather,"  grunted  Halstead. 

"Let  him  up.  He  won't  dare  attack  you  again, 
with  so  many  about." 

"  No ;  but  he  may  may  try  to  jump  overboard, ' ' 
retorted  Halstead.  "Mr.  Giddings  has  another 
drug  streak  on  him.  He's  not  responsible  for 
what  he  does." 

"I  guess  that's  right,"  nodded  Dr.  Gray. 
"Baldwin,  you  and  Mr.  Eoss  hold  him,  while  the 
captain  gets  up  and  tells  us  what  has  happened. ' ' 

The  young  skipper  quickly  explained,  produc- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          131 

ing  the  vial  he  had  snatched  from  the  young 
bank  president. 

"That's  all  the  morphine  I  have  with  me," 
remarked  Dr.  Gray.  "I'll  make  sure  of  keep- 
ing that,  hereafter,  where  no  one  but  myself  can 
find  it.  Mr.  Baldwin,  you'd  better  get  the 
young  man  below.  Use  force,  if  you  find  it 
necessary. ' ' 

They  accomplished  this  without  having  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  any  of  the  sailors  or 
stewards.  Mr.  Giddings  was  then  unceremoni- 
ously thrust  into  his  stateroom,  and  the  door 
locked,  though  this  was  not  until  the  physician 
had  searched  the  young  man,  removing  his 
pocket  knife  and  also  the  tool  that  the  drug  vic- 
tim had  used  in  forcing  the  lock  of  the  medicine 
case. 

"I  did  what  I  thought  was  right,"  Halstead 
explained. 

"And  I'm  mighty  glad  you  saw  him,  and  acted 
so  promptly,"  replied  the  physician. 

Through  the  rest  of  the  night  the  physician 
had  a  battle  with  his  patient,  working  hard  to 
keep  a  more  pronounced  streak  of  mania  from 
coming  on.  It  is  to  such  fearful  torments  that 
"hop-fiends"  and  morphine  users  are  always 
exposed  in  the  end. 

At  midnight  Dick  Davis  again  went  on  the 
bridge,  beginning  his  eight  hours'  watch. 


132         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Though  Halstead  had  the  utmost  faith  in  the  skill 
and  judgment  of  his  friend,  he,  also,  remained 
up  until  nearly  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Then  he  turned  to  leave  the  bridge. 

"Pm  going  to  my  cabin  now,  Mr.  Davis,  to 
turn  in  on  my  sofa  for  a  while.  If  I  am  needed 
for  anything  at  all,  don't  hesitate  to  call  me 
instantly. ' ' 

"Aye,  aye,  Captain,"  Dick  replied. 

Barely  two  hours  had  the  young  skipper  slept 
when  the  sharp,  jarring  tones  of  the  vibrating 
electric  bell  from  the  bridge  rang  over  his  head. 
Tom  was  up  in  an  instant,  pulling  on  his  shoes. 
As  he  reached  for  his  deck  ulster  and  cap  there 
came  from  overhead  a  note  that  told  him  at  once 
why  he  was  wanted. 

Too-whoo-oo-oo ! 

<  <  Fog ! ' '  gasped  the  young  yacht  captain.  ' i  Of 
all  the  confounded  luck ! ' ' 

With  his  ulster  over  his  arm  he  threw  open 
the  door  of  his  cabin,  making  for  the  bridge 
steps. 

The  mist  was  yet  light  and  curling  as  Captain 
Halstead  reached  the  open.  Second  Officer  Dick 
Davis  met  him  at  the  head  of  the  steps. 

"How  long  has  this  been  coming  on?"  de- 
manded Halstead. 

"The  first  little  puffs  rolled  in  half  an  hour 
ago, ' '  replied  Dick.  t  i  You  see,  I  've  put  in  closer 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          133 

to  the  enemy.  We're  still  well  in  sight,  or  I'd 
have  called  you  earlier. ' ' 

The  motor  yacht  was  now  running  along 
abreast  of  the  "Victor,"  and  less  than  three  hun- 
dred yards  distant.  The  steam  yacht's  lights 
were  in  plain  sight,  save  when  occasional  puffs 
of  fog  obscured  them  briefly. 

Tom  groaned  with  excitement. 

"This  is  going  to  get  heavier,"  he  muttered. 

' '  Yes,  sir, ' '  nodded  Davis.  < '  Still,  I  didn  't  be- 
lieve it  necessary  to  call  you  until  I  had  to  use 
the  whistle." 

Too-whoo-oo-oo !  sounded  the  auto  fog-horn, 
controlled  by  the  sailor  on  watch  in  the  pilot- 
house with  the  quartermaster. 

"You  did  right,  Mr.  Davis,"  the  young  skip- 
per nodded.  "But  we're  going  to  be  up  against 
it  in  half  an  hour.  Where's  your  extra  man 
of  the  watch?" 

Davis  blew  a  thrilling  blast  on  his  mate's 
whistle.  In  answer  the  third  sailor  of  the  watch 
came  running  to  the  bridge  steps. 

"My  man,"  called  down  Halstead,  "go  at 
once  to  Mr.  Baldwin's  stateroom  door,  and  tell 
him,  with  my  compliments,  that  I  believe  he'd 
better  come  to  the  bridge  at  once." 

Even  with  so  imperative  a  summons  as  this, 
five  or  six  minutes  passed  before  the  owner  ap- 
peared on  the  scene. 


134         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Good  heavens,  Captain !"  gasped  Joseph 
Baldwin.  "And  this  white  curtain  is  thickening 
all  the  time,  isn't  it?" 

t  '  The  fog  is  beginning  to  roll  in  fast,  now,  sir. 
Mr.  Davis,  alter  the  course  so  as  to  bring  us  a 
hundred  yards  closer  to  the  i Victor/  We've 
got  to  keep  her  in  sight  to  the  last  moment. ' ' 

"We've  got  to  keep  that  other  boat  in  sight 
all  the  time,"  retorted  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"As  close  as  we  can  go  without  running  her 
down,"  Halstead  answered.  "We've  the  rules 
of  the  sea  to  obey,  sir,  at  any  cost. ' ' 

"Go  and  call  Mr.  Jephson  here,"  shouted 
down  Mr.  Baldwin,  to  the  sailor,  who  was  still 
standing  by  at  the  port  rail. 
1  In  another  five  minutes  the  representative  of 
the  United  States  district  attorney  at  San  Fran- 
cisco was  beside  them  on  the  bridge. 

Dick  Davis  had  now  manoeuvred  the  "Pan- 
ther" in  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of 
the  "Victor."  Closer  than  that  Tom  Halstead 
did  not  dare  to  go.  Even  this  he  considered 
almost  too  little  sea-way. 

"May  the  furies  consume  the  luck!"  growled 
the  man  of  the  law.  "Yet,  of  course,  we  might 
have  looked  for  this!  It's  bound  to  happen  on 
this  coast.  A  genuine,  four-ply,  real  old  'Frisco 
fog  reaching  out  to  encompass  us  and  let  those 
blackguards  yonder  get  away ! ' ' 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          135 

Aboard  the  other  yacht  few  signs  of  human 
life  showed.  One  figure,  wrapped  in  a  great 
coat  and  topped  by  a  sou'wester,  huddled  in  the 
bow.  That  was  the  bow  watch  of  the  "  Victor. " 
As  the  light  of  coming  morning  began  to  filter 
through  the  increasing  fog,  it  was  possible,  now 
and  then,  to  make  out  a  figure  in  the  steam 
yacht's  wheel  house.  A  watch  officer  tramped 
the  bridge.  No  other  figures  appeared.  Once 
the  steam  yacht's  watch  officer  looked  directly 
over  at  his  foes,  and  a  cunning  grin  illumined  his 
face. 

* '  That 's  a  great  f  ac'e  to  show  above  the  hang- 
man's  noose!"  bellowed  Mr.  Jephson,  angrily, 
through  the  megaphone  that  he  snatched  up. 

Captain  Tom  suddenly  darted  from  the  bridge, 
running  to  his  cabin.  When  he  came  back  he 
carried  a  pair  of  revolvers,  one  of  which  he 
handed  to  Dick  Davis. 

"Mr.  Jephson,  the  fellows  on  that  craft  may 
open  fire  on  us,  at  any  moment,  hoping  to  make 
us  drop  back  into  the  fog.  If  they  do,  we'd  bet- 
ter shoot  back,  eh,  sir  T ' 

"If  they  open  fire  on  us,"  replied  the  assist- 
ant district  attorney,  promptly,  "I  order  Mr. 
Davis  and  yourself  to  return  it." 

To  make  matters  more  emphatic,  Mr.  Jephson 
passed  the  word  to  have  his  two  deputy  marshals 
aroused  at  once  and  ordered  to  the  deck. 


136         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Still,  though  the  day  broadened,  the  fog 
rolled  in  so  thick  and  heavy  that  the  steam  yacht, 
nearby  though  it  was,  became  more  and  more 
obscured. 

Both  yachts  sounded  their  fog-horns  simul- 
taneously just  as  a  final  big,  thick,  white  blanket 
of  mist  rolled  in  and  shut  them  out  of  each 
other's  view. 

"Done!  Beaten  out!"  groaned  Mr.  Jephson, 
savagely.  "It's  only  a  question  of  minutes, 
now,  when  we  shall  have  lost  all  trail  of  that 
craft  on  this  hidden  waste  of  water ! ' ' 

"Only  a  question  of  minutes!"  repeated  Tom 
Halstead,  grimly.  "Is  it?" 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE    CALL   FEOM    OUT    OF    THE   FOG 

OUT  of  the  dense  fog  to  port  came  a  chorus 
of   derisive    yells,    then    a   prolonged 
blast  of  the  "Victor's"  fog-horn. 
"That's  as  much  as  saying  it's  the  last  time 
we'll  hear  their  toot,"  burst,  savagely,  from  Mr. 
Baldwin. 

' '  Maybe  it  is  the  last  time, ' '  admitted  Tom. 
Mr.   Jephson  and  the   owner  began  to  talk 
excitedly. 

"Sh!"   warned    the   young    skipper.     "We 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          137 

don't  want  a  tone  aboard  louder  than  a  whisper. 
If  we  can  keep  this  interval,  or  pretty  near  it, 
we  can  follow  the  steam  yacht  by  the  sound  of 
her  machinery.  Mr.  Davis,  keep  your  ears 
strained  for  it,  and  shape  our  course  accord- 
ingly. " 

In  the  hush  that  followed  the  keen-eared  list- 
eners could  hear  the  now  invisible  "  Victor " 
slowing  down  her  speed.  Captain  Tom,  the  en- 
gine room  speaking  tube  at  his  mouth,  called 
down  the  orders  softly  for  a  similar  slowing  of 
speed.  The  "Panther"  fell  back  close  to  the 
"Victor." 

"Captain,  they're  likely  to  stop  altogether, 
soon,"  whispered  Mr.  Jephson.  "Then  we 
won't  hear  a  sound  to  guide  us." 

"We'd  do  the  same,"  murmured  Halstead. 
"Then  the  yachts  would  be  likely  to  drift  to- 
gether and  bump.  No;  I  hardly  believe  the 
steam  yacht's  captain  will  try  that  trick.  If  he 
does,  we  must  match  it. ' ' 

The  two  craft  engaged  in  this  marine  game  of 
blind  man's  buff  were  now  going  forward  along 
their  respective  courses  at  not  more  than  eight 
miles  an  hour.  Greater  speed  was  not  advisa- 
ble, for  they  were  in  the  possible  track  of  vessels 
plying  between  San  Francisco  and  Hawaii,  New 
Zealand  or  Australia. 

For  the  next  ten  minutes  there  was  no  sound 


138         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

from  the  "Victor's"  fog-horn.  To  run  without 
this  precaution  was  all  but  tantamount  to  piracy 
in  itself.  Skipper  Tom  and  Second  Officer 
Davis,  however,  managed  to  keep  within  sound  of 
the  steam  craft's  machinery.  So,  presently,  the 
"  Victor  's"  steam  fog-horn  again  sounded  on  the 
air. 

Breakfast  was  served  late,  that  morning,  on 
board  the  motor  yacht.  All  hands  were  too 
much  interested  in  the  difficult  chase  to  think  of 
eating  before  Nature  made  her  demands  clamor- 
ing. 

At  eight  o'clock,  when  Third  Officer  Costigan 
again  came  up  on  the  bridge  to  take  his  watch 
trick,  Dick  Davis  declared  he  had  no  interest  in 
sleep. 

"You'd  better  go  below,"  advised  Tom. 
"This  search  through  the  fog  may  be  a  long  one. 
We'll  want  all  hands  to  be  fresh  and  bright. 
Get  four  or  five  hours'  sleep,  anyway.  I  shall 
be  on  the  bridge  most  of  the  time  until  you're 
called  again." 

So  Dick  went  below  and  turned  in,  though  al- 
most with  a  grumble. 

For  the  next  three  hours  Halstead  was  almost 
constantly  on  the  bridge.  The  blind  pursuit  kept 
up  along  the  same  lines.  The  steam  yacht's 
machinery  still  sent  its  dull  clatter  across  the 
waters.  The  quartermaster  of  the  "Panther," 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          139 

with  the  help  of  the  mate's  orders,  still  steered 
by  that  sound. 

"It'd  be  fierce  to  have  a  big,  noisy  liner  rum- 
ble up  close  to  us  now,  making  noise  enough  to 
drown  out  the  sound  of  our  enemy, "  grumbled 
Captain  Tom  to  the  owner. 

Mr.  Jephson,  standing  close  by,  heard,  and  his 
eyes  snapped. 

"I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  he  growled. 
"  Since  that  would  be  the  toughest  sort  of  luck, 
that's  what  is  almost  sure  to  happen." 

" Don't  complain  of  your  luck,"  advised  the 
young  skipper,  gravely.  " We've  been  able  to 
keep  right  along  with  the  steam  craft  for  some 
hours  now.  If  we  can  do  so  for  a  few  hours 
more,  we're  highly  likely  to  run  out  of  this  fog 
and  be  under  a  clear  sky  again.  So  far,  Mr. 
Jephson,  our  luck  has  been  wondrously  kind 
to  us." 

Halstead  remained  on  deck  until  nearly  two 

0  'clock.    Then  he  passed  word  for  Ab  Perkins. 
To  that  young  first  officer,  in  the  presence  of 
Baldwin,  Eoss  and  Jephson,  he  said: 

1  '  Mr.  Perkins,  my  eyes  are  getting  heavy,  and 

1  expect  to  be  on  deck  most  of  the  night.    I'm 
going  to  turn  in,  now,  for  an  hour  or  two.     Call 
me,  anyway,  at  the  changing  of  the  watches. 
You  know  the  general  orders,  and  I  look  to  you 
not  to  let  the  'Victor'  slip  away  from  us." 


140         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"If  I  do  let  her  slip,"  affirmed  Ab,  "I'll  eat 
the  starboard  life-boat. " 

"Mr.  Perkins  used  to  be  the  most  famous 
1  hoodoo*  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kennebec,"  Tom 
laughed,  softly,  as  he  turned  to  Mr.  Baldwin. 
"His  luck  changed,  however,  the  day  he  went 
into  the  motor  boating  business.  He's  about  the 
luckiest  young  navigator  afloat  these  days." 

Nor  did  Ab,  left  in  temporary  full  command, 
intend  to  lose  his  later  laurels.  He  soon  left  the 
bridge,  however,  feeling  that  he  could  listen  more 
effectively  from  the  port  rail  forward.  Occa- 
sionally he  turned  to  signal,  silently,  to  Third 
Officer  Costigan,  who  still  kept  to  the  bridge. 

Part  of  the  time  the  *  *  Victor ' '  sounded  its  fog- 
horn with  pauses  longer  than  the  rules  of  the 
sea  permitted  in  so  deep  a  fog.  It  looked  as 
though  those  aboard  the  steam  yacht  were  will- 
ing to  leave  it  to  the  "Panther"  to  warn  away 
other  craft  from  them  both.  However,  thus  far 
in  the  day,  no  other  vessel  had  sounded  through 
the  fog.  Apparently,  these  two  craft  had  all  of 
this  part  of  the  sea  to  themselves. 

In  the  silence  and  under  the  white  pall  even 
the  interest  of  the  chase  could  not  prevent  the 
time  from  passing  with  deadly  monotony  for 
Ab  Perkins.  Quite  plainly  it  impressed  also  the 
others  that  way,  for  the  cabin  passengers,  two 
or  three  at  a  time,  disappeared  below.  Messrs. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          141 

Baldwin  and  Boss  remained  on  deck  more  than 
any  of  the  cabin  party,  though  even  they  went 
inside,  restlessly,  every  now  and  then. 

At  last  the  deck  was  bare,  save  for  Ab  Perk- 
ins and  the  bow  watch.  In  the  pilot  house  stood 
the  quartermaster  and  his  seaman  helper.  On 
the  bridge  Mr.  Costigan  paced  back  and  forth, 
glad  that  the  fog  was  not  too  thick  for  him  to 
make  out  the  first  officer  forward. 

One  of  Ab's  reasons  for  being  well  up  forward 
was  that  he  might  more  readily  hear  the  sound 
of  fog-horn  or  of  bell  from  any  other  vessel  hid- 
den away  in  this  white  gloom. 

It  was  a  long  while  before  he  heard  anything, 
but  at  last  it  came : 

"Help!    Don't  run  me  down!" 

The  voice  came  from  low  down  upon  the  water, 
somewhat  ahead  and  barely  to  port. 

Quick  as  a  flash  the  bow  watch  turned  to  see 
if  the  first  officer  and  the  bridge  watch  had  heard. 
Both  Perkins  and  Costigan  had  sprung  to  see 
what  might  come  to  them  out  of  the  fog. 

"Careful!"  warned  Ab,  in  a  steady  voice. 
"Take  the  sound  of  my  voice  for  your  guide. 
I'm  at  the  port  rail,  moving  toward  you." 

Suddenly,  out  of  the  fog,  there  came  into  view, 
near  at  hand,  a  ship's  yawl.  It  contained  a  sin- 
gle man,  dark,  rather  tall  and  about  thirty  years 
of  age.  He  was  dressed  carelessly,  yet  had 


142         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

much  the  air  of  a  gentleman.  His  clothing 
seemed  to  be  soaked  with  moisture,  as  though 
he  had  been  long  exposed  to  the  elements.  With 
his  back  to  the  bow  of  the  yawl,  the  man  turned 
to  glance  over  his  shoulder  as  he  handled  a  pair 
of  oars. 

"Don't  run  me  down!"  shouted  the  stranger. 
"Stop  and  take  me  aboard  in  heaven's  name." 

Ab  Perkins  had  already  swiftly  caught  up  a 
coil  of  rope,  which  he  deftly  poised  for  a  clean 
throw. 

"We  stop  for  nothing — mark  that!"  called 
First  Officer  Perkins,  firmly.  "Catch  this  rope, 
or  we've  got  to  leave  you  behind!" 

The  yawl  was  drifting  by,  and  barely  thirty 
feet  from  the  motor  yacht 's  hull,  when  Ab  made 
the  throw.  He  was  a  master  at  such  feats.  The 
coil  unspread  as  it  went  whirling  through  the 
air,  and  a  length  lay  across  the  yawl. 

"Get  it!    Grab  it!"  panted  sympathetic  Ab. 

The  stranger  just  managed  the  feat,  leaping 
up  and  holding  on  as  though  for  dear  life,  while 
the  yawl,  checked  in  its  headway,  was  swung 
around.  Desperately  the  stranger  bent  down, 
taking  a  hitch  with  the  rope.  The  bow  watch 
had  sprung  to  help  Ab  make  fast  the  inside  end 
of  the  line. 

"There  you've  got  it,"  called  Ab,  cheeringly. 
As  the  "Panther"  was  going  but  eight  miles 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          143 

an  hour  the  stranger  was  able,  without  risk, 
to  haul  the  small  boat  in  alongside. 

"Can  you  climb  1"  Ab  called  down,  in  a  low 
voice. 

«I_I  think  so." 

"Only  a  few  feet  needed,  then  we  can  reach 
your  arm-pits,"  Ab  called,  encouragingly. 

It  was  not  long  ere  young  Perkins  and  the 
bow  watch  were  able  to  help  the  stranger 
aboard. 

The  young  first  officer's  first  thought,  on  see- 
ing the  yawl  sweep  into  view,  was  that  a  trick 
had  been  attempted  by  the  enemy,  for  the 
"Victor"  had  recently  slipped  ahead.  But 
Ab's  first  glimpse  at  the  stern  of  the  yawl 
showed  the  name,  painted  in  goodly  black  let- 
ters, "S.  S.  Dolbear."  In  the  bottom  of  the 
yawl  lay  two  life  preservers  bearing  the  same 
name. 

"How  on  earth  do  you  come  to  be  away  out 
here  at  sea,  in  a  small  boat?"  demanded  Ab  of 
the  stranger. 

"I  was  a  freight  clerk  aboard  the  liner  'Dol- 
bear/ bound  from  Auckland,  New  Zealand,  to 
San  Francisco,"  replied  the  rescued  one. 

"What  happened  to  the  <  Dolbear '?" 

"Foundered,  five  days  ago.  Life  boats 
crowded,  so  that  the  last  three  of  us  had  to 
take  to  the  yawl.  We  tried  to  keep  up  with 


144         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

the  other  boats,  but  fell  behind  the  first  night. 
Next  morning  we  were  alone  on  the  ocean. 
After  two  days  one  man  in  our  party  became 
crazed  and  jumped  over  into  the  sea.  Last 
night  the  other  man  with  me  did  the  same. 
Oh,  it  was  a  gruesome  experience,  I  assure 
you." 

"It  must  have  been,"  returned  Ab  Perkins, 
sympathetically. 

1 1  Sir,  that  yawl  is  bumping  alongside, ' '  broke 
in  the  bow  watch. 

"Cut  her  loose,  then,  and  let  her  drift,"  or- 
dered Ab.  "We  can't  be  encumbered  with  any 
useless  lumber.  Then  return  to  your  watch. 
Mr.  Costigan,  warn  the  engine  room  to  increase 
our  speed  as  much  as  you  find  necessary.  We 
can't  let  the  ' Victor'  go  on  getting  ahead  of  us. 
Eun  right  up  parallel  again." 

"Yes,  sir,"  from  the  third  officer. 

"You're  hungry,  I  suppose,"  suggested  Ab, 
looking  at  the  stranger.  "I'll  pass  word  for 
our  second  stew " 

"I  guess  I  shall  be  hungry  when  I  get  it 
fully  through  my  head  that  I'm  safe,"  laughed 
the  rescued  one.  "Just  at  present  I'd  rather 
go  below  and  warm  myself." 

Ab  blew  his  mate's  whistle  for  the  third  sea- 
man of  the  watch. 

"My   man,"   he   directed,   "take   this   man 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          145 

down  to  the  motor  room.  Tell  Mr.  Randolph 
it  will  be  all  right  for  Mr. " 

"Cragthorpe  is  my  name,"  supplied  the 
stranger. 

"Tell  Mr.  Randolph  it  will  be  all  right  for 
Mr.  Cragthorpe  to  dry  himself  off  in  the  en- 
gine room,"  continued  First  Officer  Perkins. 
"When  you  get  hungry,  come  up  on  deck.  Mr. 
Costigan  will  see  that  you're  fed  if  I'm  not 
here." 

The  '  rescued  one,  after  offering  profuse 
thanks,  was  led  below  by  the  seaman  guide. 

"Mr.  Costigan,  what  do  you  know  about  the 
'Dolbear'?"  called  up  Ab,  softly. 

' '  She  belongs  to  the  New  Zealand  line,  and  is 
due  in  'Frisco  about  this  present  time,"  replied 
the  third  officer  from  the  bridge. 

"Then  it's  all  right,  as  far  as  Cragthorpe 
goes?" 

"I  think  so,  sir." 

"All  I  wanted,"  Ab  finished,  "was  to  be  easy 
in  my  mind  that  the  stranger  didn't  come  from 
the  ' Victor.'  Don't  let  us  get  at  all  astern 
again,  Mr.  Costigan." 

"I  won't,  sir." 

In  the  meantime  Jeff  Randolph,  sitting  out 
through  a  long  and  lonely  watch  in  the  engine 
room,  was  not  sorry  to  see  company  coming  his 
way. 

IO—The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  The  Golden  Gate. 


146         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

For  some  time  they  chatted  together.  Crag- 
thorpe  seemed  greatly  interested  in  finding 
such  young  officers  aboard  the  motor  yacht. 
He  asked  many  questions  about  the  Motor 
Boat  Club. 

At  last  Jeff  Randolph  rose,  excusing  himself 
and  stepping  just  outside  the  engine  room 
door,  though  lingering  near  enough  to  hear  a 
signal  from  the  bridge,  if  one  came.  The  young 
assistant  engineer  wanted  to  stretch  his  legs 
after  sitting  a  long  time  by  the  motors.  No 
sooner  was  the  motor  boat  boy  out  of  sight  than 
the  stranger  rose  swiftly.  Snatching  up  a 
wrench,  he  prowled  about  the  motors  as  though 
looking  for  something. 

At  last  he  evidently  discovered  what  he 
wanted.  Instantly  he  laid  the  wrench  on  a  bolt- 
head. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

MB.     CKAGTHOBPE     IS     MOKE     THAN     TKOUBLESOME 

LUCKILY,  at  that  moment,  the  Florida 
boy  turned  about,  glancing  into  the 
engine  room. 

What  he  saw  made  Jeff  stare,  then  gasp. 
Both  operations  were  over  in  the  space  of  a 
second. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          147 

"Here,  you  infernal  rascal !"  shouted  Jeff. 
"Stop  it!" 

Nor  did  he  content  himself  with  that  startled 
roar.  The  Florida  boy  carried  his  fighting 
pluck  with  him  at  all  times. 

Though  Cragthorpe  was  about  half  as  large 
again  as  the  young  assistant  engineer,  Ran- 
dolph  made  a  direct  spring  for  him. 

Cragthorpe  didn't  have  time  to  complete  his 
mischief  to  the  engine  just  then. 

Instead,  he  swung  around,  aiming  the  wrench 
at  Jeff's  head.  But  young  Kandolph  halted, 
instantly  picked  up  another  wrench,  and  sent 
it  whizzing. 

Boiling  with  wrath,  the  Florida  boy  didn't 
aim  particularly.  He  didn't  care  where  his 
wrench  landed,  provided  that  it  served  the  pur- 
pose. 

The  flying  missile  struck  hard  against  the 
knuckles  of  Cragthorpe 's  right  hand,  forcing 
him  to  let  his  own  weapon  drop. 

Then  Jeff  fairly  flew  at  the  larger  stranger. 

"You  won't  play  any  tricks  while  I'm  here 
on  watch,"  panted  Jeff  Randolph,  as  he 
clinched  with  his  adversary.  So  impetuous  was 
the  Florida  boy's  assault  that  he  carried  Crag- 
thorpe down  to  the  floor. 

There,  locked  in  each  other's  arms,  they 
rolled  and  fought.  The  pit  in  which  the 


148         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

motors  stood  was  railed  off,  preventing  their 
fighting  their  way  into  the  moving  machinery. 

Both  combatants  displayed  a  good  deal  of 
staying  power.  For  the  first  sixty  seconds  they 
fought  without  either  seeming  to  gain  any  ad- 
vantage. It  was  a  grim,  lonely  duel,  in  which 
neither  could  accept  less  than  complete  victory. 

No  word  was  spoken.  Neither  cared  to  waste 
breath  in  speech.  Jeff  fought  for  a  strangle 
hold  as  his  best  chance.  Cragthorpe  tried  to 
get  in  a  blow  between  the  boy's  eyes. 

Once  Eandolph  got  briefly  on  top,  but  the 
stranger  rolled  over  on  him,  and  then  the 
fighting  went  on  more  furiously  than  ever. 

However,  the  stranger's  superior  weight  and 
a  considerable  advantage  in  muscle  soon  told 
over  the  Florida  boy's  clear,  savage  grit. 
Though  he  would  not  yield  an  inch,  Jeff  had 
to  admit  to  himself  that  he  could  not  hope  to 
hold  out  much  longer. 

After  another  sixty  seconds  of  it,  during 
which  the  Florida  boy  was  breathing  sorely, 
Cragthorpe  managed  to  free  one  hand.  Rais- 
ing the  clenched  fist  with  the  swiftness  of  light- 
ning, he  brought  that  fist  down,  aiming  the  blow 
to  land  on  Jeff's  forehead  just  above  his  eyes. 

The  blow  fell,  though  glancingly.  Now  there 
came  a  quick  step  behind  the  stranger. 

With  a  brutal  oath,  Cragthorpe  sprang  up  to 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          149 

confront  the  burning  glance  of  Captain  Tom 
Halstead. 

Halstead  had  just  come  on  deck  again,  after 
his  nap.  Learning  from  Ab  about  the  stranger, 
and  quick  to  suspect,  under  such  circumstances, 
the  young  motor  boat  skipper  had  hastened 
below. 

"Caught  you,  you  sneak,  didn't  I?"  jeered 
Tom,  harshly,  dodging  back  and  shedding  his 
deck  ulster  with  almost  a  single  motion. 

Then  the  young  captain  of  the  "  Panther " 
threw  himself  on  guard.  Not  an  instant  too 
soon,  for  Cragthorpe  had  sprung  forward  to 
grapple  with  him. 

The  two  fists  of  the  young  skipper,  moving 
with  lightning-like  rapidity,  caused  Cragthorpe 
to  retreat,  throwing  up  his  own  hands  as  soon 
as  he  saw  it  was  to  be  a  game  of  fisticuffs. 

As  Tom  crouched  low,  Cragthorpe  attempted 
to  leap  in  over  his  guard.  It  was  good  tactics 
for  one  three  inches  taller.  Yet  Halstead  was 
no  novice  in  boxing.  He  threw  up  his  left  on 
guard,  holding  back  his  assailant,  then  tried  to 
cut  under  and  up  with  his  right.  He  landed, 
though  not  with  much  force,  against  Crag- 
thorpe 's  ribs.  It  was  enough  to  drive  the  older 
combatant  back  until  he  could  alter  his  guard. 

In  the  meantime,  Jeff  lay  on  the  floor,  fur- 
ther forward  in  the  engine  room.  The  Florida 


150         THE    MOTOR    BOAT    CLUB 

boy  had  not  wholly  lost  consciousness,  but  he 
was  half-dazed,  seeking  to  remember  what  had 
happened. 

Now,  at  it  again  went  Halstead  and  his 
enemy,  each  sparring  cautiously,  each  alter- 
nately retreating  or  forcing  the  other  all  around 
the  open  part  of  the  engine  room. 

Once  Cragthorpe  caught  Tom  near  the  rail- 
ing, and  let  drive  hard  with  both  fists,  seeking 
to  push  the  young  skipper  over  the  railing  and 
in  among  the  moving  machinery. 

But  Tom  dodged  artfully  as  he  parried  and 
struck  back,  and  in  an  instant  more  was  away 
from  his  perilous  position. 

Not  once  did  the  young  skipper  think  of  call- 
ing upon  Cragthorpe  to  quit  it  and  surrender. 
Halstead  knew  the  fellow  was  there  for  too 
serious  business  to  allow  himself  to  be  talked 
to  a  standstill. 

At  last,  as  Cragthorpe  retreated  past  him, 
almost  stepping  on  the  young  assistant  en- 
gineer's face,  Jeff  rallied  his  senses  enough  to 
recall  what  had  happened. 

For  a  few  moments  Tom  Halstead  cleverly 
fought  his  opponent  forward,  putting  up  effect- 
ive parries  and  raining  in  his  blows  so  fast  that 
Cragthorpe  had  all  he  could  do  to  save  him- 
self from  being  floored. 

In  those  few  moments  Jeff  managed  to  crawl 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          151 

past  both,  and  down  toward  the  engine  room 
door. 

The  tide  of  battle  turned,  now,  briefly  at 
least.  Cragthorpe,  stung  to  greater  fury  by  a 
glancing  blow  on  the  end  of  his  nose,  hurled 
himself  into  the  fray  with  so  much  added  en- 
ergy that  Halstead  was  compelled  to  give 
ground. 

"  Jeff,  can  you  understand  me?"  panted  Tom, 
as  he  retreated,  an  inch  at  a  time,  keeping  his 
fists  moving  fast. 

"Y-yes,"  stammered  the  Florida  boy,  still  a 
bit  dazed. 

"Then  pass  the  word  for  help,  like  a  flash!' ' 

But  Jeff  lingered  by  the  doorway,  holding  to 
the  frame  for  support.  Only  one  thing  was 
plain  in  the  Florida  boy's  mind — that  running 
away  wasn't  in  his  line. 

"A-a-h!"  vented  Cragthorpe,  gleefully.  He 
had  suddenly  closed  in  quickly  on  Halstead, 
aiming  a  blow  that  it  seemed  must  send  the 
young  captain  to  the  floor  senseless. 

And  so  it  would  have  done — only  Tom  wasn't 
there.  He  ducked  low,  passing  under  Crag- 
thorpe's  extended  arm,  and  came  up  behind 
him,  forcing  the  stranger  to  wheel  about. 

That  left  the  rascal  with  his  back  turned  to 
the  Florida  boy. 

Jeff's  mind  was  becoming  a  bit  clearer  every 


152         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

instant.  Now  lie  left  the  doorway,  gliding  for- 
ward. 

Tom  saw  Jeff's  new  move,  and  half-guessed 
the  meaning  of  it.  By  clever  sparring  the 
young  skipper  held  Cragthorpe  just  where  he 
stood,  until 

Jeff  leaped  upon  the  big  stranger  from  be- 
hind. He  wound  his  arms  around  Cragthorpe 's 
throat,  then  held  on  with  all  the  strength  he 
could  summon. 

Another  oath  escaped  the  wretch's  lips.  It 
was  stopped  by  Halstead's  right  fist  landing 
across  his  mouth. 

"This  is  a  gentleman's  boat — no  profanity 
allowed/'  mocked  Tom,  sending  in  another 
blow  that  struck  his  man  in  the  region  of  the 
belt,  causing  him  to  double  up  in  torment. 

Two  more  blows  Tom  drove  in.  Cragthorpe 
sank  to  the  floor. 

"Let  go  of  him,  Jeff.  I  can  handle  him," 
ordered  Captain  Tom.  "Get  to  the  speaking 
tube  and  direct  Mr.  Costigan  to  send  the  extra 
deckhand  down  here  on  the  jump." 

Cragthorpe  lay  on  the  floor.  The  fight  was 
not  by  any  means  driven  out  of  him,  but  the 
wind  was,  for  the  moment,  at  least.  Then  steps 
were  heard.  Mr.  Costigan  himself  came  in,  fol- 
lowed by  the  extra  deck-hand,  for  Ab  had  re- 
lieved the  third  mate  on  the  bridge. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          153 

"So  that's  what  our  new  gentleman  has  been 
doing,  is  it,  sir?"  demanded  Mr.  Costigan,  his 
Irish  quickness  enabling  him  to  guess  much  at 
the  first  glance. 

"Have  you  handcuffs  with  you,  Mr.  Costi- 
gan?" asked  Tom. 

"I  have,  sir." 

"Then  put  them  on  this  fellow." 

With  a  right  good  will  Mr.  Costigan  and  the 
sailor  rolled  Cragthorpe  over,  not  very  gently 
at  that,  and  forced  his  wrists  together,  man- 
acling the  wretch.  Then  they  dragged  him  to 
his  feet. 

"Jupiter!"  muttered  Tom,  staring  hard. 
"I've  seen  this  fellow  somewhere  before.  And 
now  I  have  it!  By  Jove,  he's  the  gallant  fel- 
low I  had  to  knock  from  the  observation  plat- 
form on  the  Overland  Mail!" 

"You  needn't  be  quite  so  glad.  We  haven't 
quite  evened  our  account  yet,"  snarlecj  the  fel- 
low. ' '  But  I  'm  not  the  man  you  think  I  am. ' ' 

"Do  you  deny  you're  the  fellow  I  struck  on 
the  observation  platform  of  a  car  of  the  Over- 
land Mail  the  other  day?"  Tom  Halstead 
snorted. 

"I  can't  be.  I've  just  come  from  Auck- 
land," leered  the  fellow. 

"We  picked  him  up  from  a  small  boat  that 
bore  the  name  of  the  liner,  'Dolbear,'  "  inter- 


154         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

jected  Mr.  Costigan.  "The  'Dolbear'  is  due 
about  now  from  Auckland/' 

"Then  the  boat  was  painted,  as  to  her  name, 
on  board  the  i Victor,'  "  said  Tom.  "I  under- 
stand we  ran  behind  her  a  bit  at  one  time  this 
afternoon. ' ' 

"Yes,  sir." 

"It's  from  the  ' Victor'  this  fellow  came,  then, 
boat  and  all,"  declared  Captain  Halstead,  posi- 
tively. ' '  Now,  bring  the  fellow  up  on  deck  and 
let  everyone  have  a  look  at  him." 

As  it  was  time  to  call  the  new  watch  up,  any- 
way, this  was  now  done.  Cragthorpe  tried  to 
make  a  fight  against  being  taken  to  the  deck, 
but,  manacled  as  he  was,  he  could  put  up  no 
effective  resistance. 

The  cabin  passengers,  too,  were  called.  Tom 
and  Jeff  stated  the  case  against  the  fellow. 

"Of  course  you're  justified  in  locking  this 
man  up  in  the  brig,  if  there  is  one  aboard, ' '  ob- 
served Mr.  Jephson. 

"Yes;  there's  a  brig  on  board,"  Tom  nodded, 
"and  that's  where  a  man  goes  after  trying  to 
tamper  with  our  engines  on  a  chase  like  this." 

The  "brig"  is  a  ship's  prison.  On  the 
"Panther"  it  was  a  small  room,  not  more  than 
five  by  seven  feet,  with  two  berths  and  two 
stools  in  it.  The  door  was  an  iron  grating. 
Even  on  a  yacht  a  brig  is  often  needed,  as  a 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          155 

place  of  confinement  for  a  drunken  or  crazy 
sailor. 

Dick  Davis  ascended  to  the  bridge  to  stand 
the  new  watch. 

"Take  the  fellow  to  the  brig,  Mr.  Costigan, 
and  see  that  he's  securely  locked  in.  Collins, 
see  that  the  man  gets  his  meals  three  times  a 
day." 

"I'll  make  you  mighty  sorry  for  this,  you 
boy  skipper!"  growled  Cragthorpe,  as  he  was 
led  away. 

"That's  the  fellow  I  knocked  from  the  train, 
isn't  it,  Joe?"  demanded  Halstead,  turning  to 
his  chum. 

"He's  not  dressed  as  well,  and  he  has  a  few 
days'  growth  of  beard  on  his  face,  but  I'm 
positive  he's  the  same  fellow,"  answered  Joe 
Dawson,  quietly. 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE    MIDNIGHT   ALAKM 

TILL  the  sound  of  machinery,"  muttered 
Dick  Davis,  pacing  the  bridge  just  be- 
fore dark.  "I  imagine  the  skipper  of 
that  other  craft  wishes  he  could  have  put  a 
mute  on  his  engines." 

"He  has  even  taken  to  blowing  his  fog-horn 


156         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

again, "  replied  young  Halstead.  "It's  just 
sheer  luck  that  he  hasn't  been  run  down  by 
some  vessel  coming  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion." 

"I  guess  our  fog-horn  has  protected  him," 
suggested  Dick.  "We  may  have  passed  some 
other  craft  whose  fog-horns  didn't  carry  sound 
as  far  as  ours.  Hearing  our  fog-horn,  such 
vessels  might  have  given  us  such  a  wide  berth 
that  the  ' Victor'  naturally  escaped  collision." 

It  was  about  eight  o'clock,  when  Tom  and 
Joe  were  finishing  the  evening  meal  in  the 
captain's  cabin,  that  a  sudden  sharp  blast 
came  through  the  bridge  speaking  tube. 

"Eight  here  at  the  other  end,  Mr.  Davis," 
Captain  Tom  answered. 

"I  think  you'll  be  interested  in  coming  to 
the  bridge,  sir.  The  fog  is  lightening  a  bit,  and 
I  can  see  a  couple  of  stars  overhead." 

"Whew!  That's  good  news!  Do  you  still 
hear  the  *  Victor's'  machinery?" 

"Yes;  I've  been  keeping  very  close  to  her." 

Halstead  quickly  told  the  news  to  Joe  Daw- 
son.  Both  reached  for  their  ulsters,  then  ran 
out  on  deck.  Tom's  first  discovery  was  that 
he  could  hear,  distinctly,  the  subdued  clank- 
clank  made  by  the  invisible  steam  yacht. 

Yes;  the  fog  was  surely  lifting.  Overhead, 
especially,  things  were  clearing. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          157 

""We  seem  to  be  running  out  at  the  edge  of 
the  fog-bank,  Mr.  Davis, "  was  the  young  cap- 
tain's greeting,  as  he  climbed  to  the  bridge,  fol- 
lowed by  the  young  chief  engineer. 

For  five  minutes  or  more  Tom  Halstead  stood 
there,  watching  the  fog. 

"I'm  sure  enough  of  the  news,  now,  to  go  aft 
and  tell  Mr.  Baldwin, "  he  declared,  finally. 

Tom  found  all  the  cabin  passengers  at  table 
in  the  deck  dining  saloon,  aft  of  the  owner's 
quarters.  They  were  not  more  than  two-thirds 
through  the  meal,  but  the  table  became  in- 
stantly deserted. 

Twenty  minutes  later  the  watchers  at  the 
port  rail  made  out,  briefly,  a  part  of  the  hull  of 
the  "  Victor. "  The  two  craft  were  but  little 
more  than  two  hundred  yards  apart. 

Ten  minutes  later  both  craft  passed  almost 
completely  out  of  the  fog.  A  cheer  went  up 
from  the  deck  of  the  "  Panther. "  There  was 
no  answer  from  the  pursued  craft. 

Eunning  up  to  the  bridge,  and  snatching  up 
a  megaphone,  Joseph  Baldwin  bawled  lustily: 

"We're  still  with  you,  you  pirates!  You 
can't  shake  us!" 

Still  no  sound  of  human  voice  came  from  the 
steam  yacht.  The  answer  was  of  another  sort. 
Great  clouds  of  smoke  began  to  pour  from  the 
"Victor's"  funnel. 


158        THE    MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

"They're  going  to  try  a  spurt, "  chuckled 
Halstead,  gleefully.  "Well,  let  'em.  We  don't 
even  have  to  get  up  more  steam  for  a  spurt. 
All  we  have  to  do  is  to  feed  in  the  gasoline 
quicker. ' ' 

Within  five  minutes  the  "Victor"  was  rac- 
ing along  at  more  than  twenty  miles  an  hour. 
On  board  the  "Panther,"  however,  Joe  Daw- 
son  did  not  even  feel  it  necessary  to  go  below 
to  look  at  the  motors.  Jed  Prentiss  was  down 
there  in  the  engine  room,  and  Jed  was  a  boy 
who  knew  what  he  was  doing.  Second  Officer 
Davis  gave  the  speed  orders  from  the  bridge; 
Jed  carried  out  the  orders.  The  "Panther," 
now  widening  the  interval  to  four  hundred 
yards  in  this  clearer  atmosphere,  ran  along 
parallel  with  the  steam  yacht. 

"They  may  fool  us  yet,"  chuckled  Halstead, 
turning  around  to  the  owner.  "But  they'll 
have  to  do  it  with  something  better  than 
speed." 

"If  they  get  away  from  you,  Captain  Hal- 
stead,"  replied  the  owner,  his  face  beaming, 
"I  promise,  in  advance,  to  forgive  you.  It 
won't  be  your  fault.  Lord,  how  you've  hung 
to  them!  What  a  report  I  shall  have  to  send 
Delavan  on  the  officers  he  sent  me!" 

Then,  suddenly,  Halstead  thought  of  the 
prisoner  down  in  the  brig. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          159 

"Pass  the  word  for  Second  Steward  Collins/' 
he  directed,  and  that  yacht's  servant  soon  re- 
ported. 

"You  didn't  forget  to  feed  the  prisoner, 
Collins  ?" 

"Oh,  no,  sir,"  and  the  steward  rattled  off 
the  names  of  the  dishes  that  had  been  supplied 
the  man  in  the  brig. 

"He  seems  to  have  fed  nearly  as  well  as  we 
did,"  laughed  Skipper  Tom.  "Well,  that's 
right;  just  because  we  lock  a  fellow  up  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  starve  him.  The 
prisoner  had  a  good  appetite?" 

"Excellent,  sir." 

"He's  locked  in  tightly?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

Ten  minutes  later  Captain  Halstead  took  the 
trouble  to  go  below  to  the  brig. 

It  was  somewhat  stuffy  down  there,  but  that 
couldn't  be  helped. 

From  the  center  of  the  ceiling  a  single  in- 
candescent lamp  supplied  the  illumination  of  the 
room. 

As  Tom  Halstead  peered  in  through  the  grat- 
ing he  saw  Cragthorpe  seated  on  a  stool  in  the 
far  corner. 

Tom  did  not  speak.  The  fellow  glared  at 
him,  then  looked  away. 

"The  door  is  locked  tightly,  all  right,"  mur- 


160         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

inured  Captain  Halstead  to  himself,  after  rat- 
tling the  bars  and  examining  the  lock. 

No  sooner  had  he  turned  away,  and  stepped 
out  of  sight,  than  Cragthorpe  rose  like  a  caged 
tiger.  A  leer  expressive  of  the  utmost  cruelty 
parted  his  teeth.  He  shook  his  fist  menacingly 
after  the  departing  young  skipper.  He  was 
able  to  do  that  much,  for  Mr.  Costigan,  follow- 
ing the  usual  course  in  such  cases,  had  re- 
moved the  handcuffs  after  depositing  the 
prisoner  in  the  brig. 

"Perhaps  you  think  I'm  here,  simply  await- 
ing your  pleasure,  my  young  salt  water  cub!" 
snarled  Cragthorpe  to  himself. 

Tom  Halstead,  however,  gave  the  fellow  lit- 
tle further  thought.  He  was  too  happy  over 
the  lifting  of  the  fog.  It  is  possible  for  two 
craft  of  the  size  of  these  to  run  all  day  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  each  other  through  a 
fog,  judging  each  other's  positions  only  by 
sounds.  The  slow  speed  of  fog-time  makes  this 
possible.  Yet  it  requires  splendidly  expert  sea- 
manship on  both  craft.  The  ordeal  is  bound 
to  be  wearing  on  the  deck  and  watch  officers. 
Tom  and  his  three  mates  felt  utterly  tired  after 
their  experience,  but  the  passing  out  of  the  belt 
of  the  fog  had  brought  huge  relief  to  them. 

Up  to  ten  o'clock  that  evening  the  "Victor" 
maintained  her  fast  speed.  The  air  was  now 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          161 

thoroughly  clear  in  every  direction.  Tom  could 
have  kept  the  other  craft  in  sight  even  had  the 
steam  yacht  shown  no  lights.  But  the  com- 
mander of  the  "Victor"  had  all  his  running 
lights  going. 

"You'll  call  us,  if  anything  whatever  hap- 
pens that's  worth  our  knowing,  won't  you,  Cap- 
tain?" asked  Joseph  Baldwin,  joining  the 
young  sailing  master,  who  stood  close  to  the 
bridge  steps  on  the  port  side. 

"Yes,  sir.     Certainly." 

"All  of  us  chaps  in  the  cabin  are  going  to 
turn  in  soon,"  continued  Mr.  Baldwin,  with  a 
slight  yawn.  "We're  fagged,  both  from  the 
lack  of  sleep  and  the  suspense.  Now,  however, 
our  minds  are  easier.  Yonder  is  the  boat  that 
carries  Frank  Rollings  and  the  millions  he  stole 
from  the  bank.  Our  fuel  will  last  as  long  as 
theirs  will.  We  can  follow  as  far  as  they  can 
go." 

"Wouldn't  it  be  a  jarring  surprise  if  it 
turned  out  that  we've  been  following  a  dummy, 
Mr.  Baldwin?"  Halstead  asked.  "What  if  we 
follow  for  days  and  days,  yet,  and  then  learn 
that  neither  Boilings  nor  his  plunder  is  on 
board?" 

Joseph  Baldwin  started,  then  retorted: 

"Yes;  but  it  won't  happen,  Captain.  In  the 
first  place,  the  detectives  of  the  Bankers'  As- 

II— The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


162         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

sociation  found  out  positively  that  Boilings  had 
gone  aboard,  and  that  the  yacht  had  then  got 
under  way  at  once.  The  captain  of  that  boat 
was  expecting  Boilings — was  prepared  for  him 
— and  has  the  defaulter  on  board  at  this  mo- 
ment. " 

"I  hope  so,  sir,  for  I'm  satisfied  that  we're 
yet  going  to  lay  alongside  of  that  craft  and 
search  her." 

"Of  course  we  are.     Good  night,  Captain." 

"Good  night,  sir.  I'm  going  to  turn  in,  my- 
self, for  a  while." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  young  skipper  was 
sound  asleep.  So,  for  that  matter,  were  all  the 
officers  and  crew  who  were  not  on  duty. 

Sky  and  surrounding  atmosphere  continued 
clear  through  the  rest  of  Dick  Davis 's  watch  on 
the  bridge.  That  young  second  mate  was  pac- 
ing back  and  forth  contentedly.  The  two 
yachts,  now  making  about  a  fourteen-mile 
speed,  were  close  together,  and  Davis  had  little 
to  watch  save  the  general  handling  of  the  boat. 

Out  of  a  hatchway  forward  a  head  was  cau- 
tiously thrust  up.  Davis  did  not  happen  to  see 
that  head.  There  was  no  reason  why  he  should 
be  looking  for  it, 

The  owner  of  that  head  saw  Davis  turn  and 
pace  over  to  starboard.  Swiftly,  and  silently, 
the  man  sprang  out  of  the  hatchway,  after  ob- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          163 

serving  that  the  quartermaster's  head  was  bent 
over  the  compass.  The  sailor  in  the  wheel 
house  with  the  quartermaster  was  not  looking 
in  Davis  ?s  direction  at  the  moment. 

So  the  prowler  gained  the  port  side  of  the 
deck-house,  and  stole  aft  without  hindrance. 
It  was  Cragthorpe,  the  late  prisoner  in  the  brig. 
Now,  besides  being  free,  he  carried  a  five-gal- 
lon can  of  gasoline  that  he  had  found  below 
deck. 

Away  back  to  the  after  deck  he  ran,  crouch- 
ing low.  There  he  halted,  staring  about  him. 
An  evil  smile  flickered  over  his  lips.  With 
little  conscience,  he  was  also  without  fear  for 
himself. 

An  instant  later  he  began  sprinkling  gaso- 
line about  him.  The  task  was  quickly  accom- 
plished. He  drew  out  a  box  of  blazer  matches, 
striking  one  of  them  and  tossing  it  down  where 
a  pool  of  gasoline  lay. 

There  was  a  flare,  in  a  second,  but  Cragthorpe 
had  vanished  almost  as  quickly  as  the  flare  ap- 
peared. 

Dick  Davis  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  glow. 

"Quartermaster,  send  your  man  aft  to  in- 
vestigate a  blaze  there.  Let  him  run!" 

The  blaze,  however,  was  spreading  and 
mounting  so  fast  that  the  alert  young  second 
officer  did  not  have  to  pause  to  guess. 


164         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 


( t 


;Fire!"  shouted  tlie  sailor,  running  forward. 
But  Dick  Davis  had  already  sprung  to  the 
alarm  bells. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    FIRE    DRILL   IN    EARNEST 

THE  sailor's  cry  of  "Fire,"  the  most 
dreaded  that  can  rise  at  sea,  disturbed 
Captain  Tom  Halstead 's  sound  rest.  He 
half  awoke. 

Then  it  sounded  again : 

"Fife!" 

In  prompt  confirmation  of  the  cry,  the  electric 
bell  began  ringing  in  his  room.  Directly  over  it 
glowed  an  electric  light  in  a  red  bulb — the  fire 
signal  to  the  cabin. 

Tom  Halstead  fairly  leaped  from  his  bed.  He 
got  on  all  the  clothing  needed  with  the  speed  of  a 
fireman. 

Dick  Davis 's  hand  had  come,  first,  to  the  bell 
rousing  the  watch  below.  He  rang  that  first, 
but  Halstead 's  bell  immediately  afterward. 

As  Halstead  burst  open  the  door  of  his  cabin 
the  red  glow  was  in  his  face. 

Down  in  the  mates'  and  crew's  quarters  the 
fire-bell  was  ringing  steadily.  Officers  and  men 
came  tumbling  up  the  stairs. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          165 

"  Stand  by  the  handling  of  the  ship,  Mr. 
Davis ! ' '  roared  the  young  captain  from  the  deck. 
"I'll  have  men  enough  for  the  fighting  of  the 
fire." 

As  the  first  heads  showed  from  below,  Hal- 
stead  roared: 

"Mr.  Perkins,  the  starboard  hose.  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan,  the  port !  Two  men  each  and  yourselves 
to  a  hose.  The  rest  report  to  me. ' 9 

The  hose  lay  in  butts  from  which  they  were 
lifted  and  fastened  to  the  deck  hydrants.  While 
one  man  was  securing  each  hose  to  a  hydrant, 
a  mate  and  another  sailor  ran  aft  with  the  line 
along  either  rail. 

<  t  rp^g  reg{.  0£  yOU  gej.  £re  axes?  9  9  Sh011ted  Cap- 
tain Halstead.  "Jump  up  onto  the  bridge  and 
go  aft  over  the  deck-house.  Mr.  Davis,  instruct 
Mr.  Prentiss  to  connect  the  pump  in  the  engine 
room.  Tell  him  to  give  us  instant  pressure. ' ' 

Though  he  had  heard  the  fire  call,  Jed  was 
too  dependable  to  allow  either  curiosity  or  fear 
to  take  him  from  his  post.  When  the  order 
came,  through  the  speaking  tube,  young  Prentiss 
was  standing  by,  ready  to  connect  the  pump  with 
one  of  the  motors. 

Through  the  two  lengths  of  hose  the  water 
leaped  almost  instantly. 

Captain  Tom  had  run  with  his  axe-men  over 
the  deck-house. 


166         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

He  found  the  after  deck  ablaze,  and  also  the 
sides  of  the  deck-house  aft. 

How  it  had  all  happened  the  young  sailing 
master  did  not  trouble  himself  to  ask,  at  first. 
It  was  more  than  enough  for  him  to  know  that 
there  was  a  fire  aboard,  and  to  know  where  it  was 
located. 

"Get  up  close,  Mr.  Perkins  and  Mr.  Cos- 
tigan!"  he  shouted,  from  the  top  of  the  deck- 
house. "Let  the  flames  have  the  water  at  full, 
direct  pressure.  Steady,  now !  Throw  in  every 
drop  of  water  where  it  will  hit  the  hottest,  high- 
est flames." 

Seldom  had  fire-drill  at  sea  been  more 
promptly  or  intelligently  carried  out.  It  was 
fortunate,  at  the  very  outset,  that  the  blaze  had 
started  so  near  the  time  for  the  changing  of  the 
watches.  The  men  were  rested  and  ready  for 
prompt  rising. 

The  slight  rolling  of  the  boat  carried  gasoline 
along  the  decks,  bearing  the  flames  with  it.  A 
pitching  at  the  bow,  slight  though  it  was,  brought 
these  running  streams  of  flame  down  upon  the 
crews  with  the  hose.  They  had  to  depress  the 
nozzles  almost  at  their  feet,  in  order  to  assure 
themselves  of  safe  standing  room. 

"Give  me  one  of  those  axes,"  shouted  Hal- 
stead,  taking  the  implement  from  a  sailor. 
"Now,  two  of  you  jump  down  aft  with  me  on 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          167 

the  deck.  Never  mind  the  fire!  Bemember, 
we  Ve  got  to  fight  it  for  our  lives  anyway ! ' ' 

Down  into  the  clearest  spot  he  could  find  young 
Halstead  leaped.  Ab  Perkins,  seeing  him, 
turned  the  stream  full  on  the  blazing  deck  around 
the  young  sailing  master.  That  was  all  that 
saved  Halstead  from  perishing.  The  water 
kept  the  flames  down  so  that  he  was  able  to  lay 
about  him,  loosening  several  of  the  deck  planks. 

One  of  the  sailors  had  landed  close  beside  the 
young  skipper.  He,  too,  laid  about  him.  The 
second  seaman,  however,  ran  over  to  the  other 
side  of  the  deck-house,  looking  for  some  spot 
where  he  might  work  protected  by  the  other  hose. 

The  hoarse  shouting  of  orders,  the  running  of 
feet  overhead  and  the  sharp,  sinister  hiss  of 
water  coming  in  contact  with  fire,  all  combined  to 
arouse  the  owner  of  the  imperiled  yacht. 

Joseph  Baldwin  sprang  from  his  bed,  dashed 
aside  the  starboard  curtains,  and  caught  a  re- 
flection of  the  glow. 

<  <  Fire ! "  he  gasped,  turning  pale.  t  i  Halstead 
and  his  comrades  surely  have  enough  to  handle 
this  time." 

Then,  with  frenzied  haste,  the  owner  fell  to 
pulling  on  his  clothes.  He,  too,  broke  some  of 
his  own  records  in  the  matter  of  dressing.  In 
a  very  few  moments  he  was  outside,  and  climb- 
ing the  bridge  steps.  Then  he  dashed  aft. 


168         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

The  breeze  that  was  blowing  was  unfavorable 
to  the  fire  fighters.  The  factors  in  their  favor, 
however,  were  the  prompt  discovery  of  the 
trouble  and  the  thinness  with  which  the  gasoline 
was  spread. 

The  blaze  was  at  its  worst  in  the  middle  of  the 
after  deck.  It  was  the  realization  of  this  fact 
that  had  caused  young  Captain  Hal  stead  to  take 
the  desperate  leap  and  make  the  bold  effort  that 
now  stood  to  his  credit. 

"That  boy  has  no  sense  of  fear,"  cried  Mr. 
Baldwin  to  himself. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Halstead  had  escaped  un- 
scorched.  His  promptness,  good  judgment,  and 
the  protecting  streams  from  the  hose  had  saved 
him  from  disastrous  consequences  that  might 
be  expected  to  follow  such  a  hazardous  act. 

By  now  the  hosemen  were  able  to  get  far 
enough  aft  to  wet  clown  the  blazing  parts  of  the 
wall  of  the  after  deck-house. 

Within  five  minutes  from  the  time  it  started 
the  blaze  was  brought  down  to  where  it  required 
only  persistent  hosing  to  drown  it  completely. 

From  time  to  time  a  sudden  gust  of  the  light 
breeze  fanned  up  the  fire  briefly  at  some  point, 
but  the  fire  fighters  no  longer  feared  for  their 
safety. 

Mr.  Eoss  and  Dr.  Gray  had  been  aroused  by 
the  sounds  of  fire-fighting;  the  others  in  the 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          169 

cabin  staterooms  slept  on,  for  Dick  Davis  had 
wisely  refrained  from  touching  the  button  that 
would  have  sounded  the  heavy  gong  in  the  main 
cabin. 

"How  could  the  thing  have  started?"  asked 
Mr.  Boss,  bewilderedly. 

"It  was  set,  by  someone,"  replied  Tom  Hal- 
stead,  joining  Mr.  Baldwin  and  the  latter 's 
friends.  "It  was  a  gasoline  blaze,  pure  and 
simple. ' ' 

"Who  could  have "  began  Dr.  Gray. 

"I  saw  myself  that  the  prisoner  was  safely 
locked  in,"  broke  in  the  young  skipper.  "Yet 
he 's  the  only  one  I  could  suspect. ' ' 

Almost  at  a  run  Halstead  started  forward,  fol- 
lowed by  Ab  Perkins. 

Down  below,  these  two  investigators  found  the 
door  of  the  brig  open.  The  lock  had  been  picked. 
On  the  floor  of  the  brig  Tom  found  what  was 
left  of  a  steel  table  fork  such  as  the  crew  used. 

"He  forced  the  tines  and  shank  out  of  the 
handle,  and  worked  it  over  into  a  pick-lock," 
muttered  the  young  skipper.  ' 1 1  respect  the  f el- 
low  's  ingenuity,  if  nothing  else." 

But  where  was  Cragthorpe  himself?  Two 
searching  parties,  one  under  Ab  and  the  other 
commanded  by  Third  Officer  Costigan,  searched 
until  Dick  Davis,  still  on  the  bridge  past  his 
hour,  broke  in  with : 


170        THE   MOTOR   BOAT   CLUB 

"Why,  Captain,  you  can  guess  what  became  of 
the  fellow !  When  our  blaze  was  under  way  the 
'Victor'  turned  and  steamed  nearer  to  us.  The 
rascal  jumped  overboard,  of  course,  swam  back 
and  was  picked  up.  It  must  have  been  all  part 
of  a  plan.  At  any  rate,  when  the  watch  officer 
on  the  steam  yacht  saw  the  blaze  on  board  this 
craft,  he  knew  well  enough  what  it  meant,  and 
stood  by  to  rescue  the  Cragthorpe  fellow. ' ' 

"That's  what  has  happened  to  him,"  nodded 
Mr.  Baldwin.  "He's  safe  again  with  the  other 
rascals." 

So  the  searching  parties  were  recalled,  the 
new  watch  was  set,  and  quiet  at  last  settled  down 
over  the  yacht. 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  Tom 
Halstead  again  sought  his  rest.  That  fire  had 
stirred  him  up  so  that  he  did  not  at  once  feel 
drowsy.  A  fire  at  sea,  on  a  gasoline  motor 
yacht,  is  a  trebly  serious  affair.  If  the  flames 
ever  get  close  to  the  gasoline  supply  the  blaze 
is  almost  certain  to  wind  up  abruptly  in  a  fear- 
ful, devastating  explosion. 

"I've  had  some  lively  times  at  sea,  before 
this,"  the  young  skipper  muttered,  "but  this 
voyage  has  already  gone  ahead  of  anything  I've 
ever  had  happen  at  sea.  I  hope  we're  through 
with  visitors  from  the  l Victor.' 

At  last  he  closed  his  eyes  and  slept,  for  Hal- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          171 

stead  was  not  a  highly  nervous  youngster. 
When  he  was  free  from  the  demands  of  duty, 
and  physically  tired,  he  was  not  usually  long  in 
finding  his  rest. 

Even  in  his  sleep  the  lad  did  not  lie  quietly. 
He  began  to  toss  and  thrash,  dreaming  that  he 
was  fighting  it  out  again  with  Cragthorpe.  It 
was  like  a  nightmare,  for,  in  his  dream,  the 
young  captain  of  the  "Panther"  felt  himself  to 
be  getting  the  worst  of  the  struggle. 

Then,  all  of  a  sudden,  Tom  Halstead  awoke, 
roused  by  a  sensation  of  choking.  A  man  knelt 
over  him  in  his  bed.  Halstead 's  hands  were 
lashed,  while  a  rope  was  noosed  about  his  neck. 

On  the  front  wall  of  the  cabin  was  a  ship's 
clock.  A  shaded  light  burned  near  the  dial  of 
the  clock,  giving  illumination  to  enable  one  to 
read  the  clock's  dial  from  the  bed. 

That  light  also  showed  Tom  the  face  and  figure 
of  his  present  oppressor — Cragthorpe,  in  the 
flesh! 

"Now,  we're  going  to  have  a  chance  to  talk 
over  the  other  side  of  this  question!"  chuckled 
the  wretch,  in  Tom's  ear.  "I  remained  aboard 
— risked  everything — in  order  to  have  this  preci- 
ous meeting.  Just  us  two  here — fine,  isn't  it?" 


172         THE   MOTOK   BOAT    CLUB 


CHAPTEE 

CRAGTHORPE  INTRODUCES  HIS  REAL  SELF 

OW,  if  you  find  you  Ve  anything  to  say,  " 
continued  Cragthorpe,  in  the  same  low 
voice,  "you  can  say  it  when  the  time 
comes.  But  don't  try  to  call  out,  and  don't  at- 
tempt any  impudence,  or  I'll  pull  this  noose 
tight.  You  know  what  that  will  mean  !  '  ' 

Undeniably  Tom  Halstead  paled.  Upon  his 
feet,  with  at  least  a  fighting  chance,  the  young 
motor  boat  captain,  while  he  might  have  feared 
death,  would  not  have  run  away  from  it.  He 
had  a  record  for  showing  grit. 

But  this  was  a  time  when  no  amount  of  cour- 
age could  give  him  a  chance.  He  read  it  in 
Cragthorpe  's  eyes  that  the  fellow  intended  to 
keep  the  upper  hand,  and  to  abuse  it,  to  the  end. 

"You  felt  fine  and  important  when  you  told 
that  big  Irishman  to  lead  me  off  to  the  brig, 
didn't  you!"  began  the  tormentor. 

"What  else  could  I  do!"  demanded  Halstead, 
in  a  low  voice.  "Wouldn't  you  have  done  the 
same  by  me,  if  the  boot  had  been  on  the  other 
foot?" 

"And  you  struck  me  that  cowardly  blow  over 
at  Oakland  the  other  day,"  cried  Cragthorpe, 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          173 

who  seemed  to  have  nursed  his  wrath  until  it 
angered  him  to  the  striking  point. 

"When  you  went  to  school/'  mocked  Tom,  his 
coolness  returning  rapidly,  "you  studied  out  of 
a  different  book  of  definitions  from  the  one  I  had. 
I  was  never  taught  that  it  was  cowardice  to  de- 
fend a  woman. " 

"What  call  had  you  to  defend  her?"  insisted 
Cragthorpe,  with  a  show  of  increasing  anger. 
' '  Was  it  any  of  your  affair ! ' ' 

"Yes ;  the  fact  that  the  young  woman  was  an- 
noyed by  you  was  excuse  enough  for  my  act. ' ' 

"You  spoiled  my  last  chance  with  her  when 
you  humiliated  me  by  a  blow  that  I  didn't  get 
a  chance  to  return  at  the  time." 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  retorted  Tom, 
candidly. 

1 '  Oh,  you  are,  are  you  ? ' ' 

The  working  of  passion  in  Cragthorpe 's  face 
was  a  fearful  sight  to  see. 

"And  a  fine  thing  you  did  for  the  young 
woman!"  hissed  the  fellow.  "I  wanted  to 
marry  her.  She  has  money  enough  to  make  her 
a  prize,"  sneered  the  wretch.  "Her  brother  is 
to  go  on  trial  for  his  life  in  a  few  days,  and  I  am 
the  only  witness  who  could  save  him  from  the 
chain  of  evidence  that  the  authorities  are  weav- 
ing about  him.  I  made  the  offer  to  the  girl  to 
save  her  brother  if  she  would  wed  me. ' ' 


174         THE    MOTOR    BOAT    CLUB 

*  *  You  cowardly — cur ! ' '  uttered  Tom  Halstead, 
in  cool  disdain. 

Cragthorpe  started ;  then  deeper  lines  of  pas- 
sion graved  themselves  in  his  features. 

"Yes,"  continued  Tom,  scornfully,  "  you  're 
about  the  lowest  sort  of  cur  that  could  possibly 
breathe.  To  charge  a  woman  such  a  price  for 
her  brother's  life  and  good  fame!" 

Cragthorpe  suddenly  restrained  his  growing 
anger.  He  leered  down  into  the  face  of  his 
straightforward  young  enemy. 

"However,  I  am  to  make  money  in  another 
way,"  he  continued,  cheerfully.  "Frank  Roll- 
ings is  my  cousin.  After  my  failure  with  the 
girl  he  found  me  so  desperate  and  ugly  that, 
without  telling  me  what  he  was  about  to  do,  he 
enlisted  me  in  his  present  fine  enterprise." 

"Took  you  along  with  him  to  help  him  guard 
his  stolen  treasure,  did  he!"  jeered  Captain  Tom 
Halstead. 

"Yes,  if  it  interests  you,"  snarled  Cragthorpe. 

"It'll  interest  your  precious  cousin  a  lot  more, 
before  he  gets  through  with  you,"  sneered  Hal- 
stead.  "He'll  be  lucky  if  you  don't  make  away 
with  him  and  try  to  secure  all  the  stolen  money 
for  yourself!" 

Cragthorpe  started,  almost  as  though  the 
young  skipper  had  hit  on  the  head  the  nail  of  his 
intentions. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          175 

"Here!  Chew  on  this,  instead  of  words V9 
flashed  the  wretch. 

He  suddenly  forced  the  young  skipper's 
mouth  open,  wedging  in  a  crumpled  up  handker- 
chief. This  he  followed  with  another,  gagging 
his  victim. 

Scenting  more  dastardly  work  to  come,  Tom 
Halstead  fought  furiously  with  the  little  chance 
that  was  left  to  him.  His  hands  were  secured, 
in  front  of  him,  but  his  feet  and  legs  were  free. 
He  struggled  with  all  his  might,  trying  to  use  his 
bound  hands,  together,  on  the  head  of  Crag- 
thorpe,  as  that  wretch  again  bent  over  him. 

In  his  struggles  Halstead  rolled  over  on  his 
side.  His  lashed  hands  reached  briefly  under 
the  edge  of  the  bed.  In  this  way  he  hoped  to 
gain  purchase  enough  to  pull  himself  free  and 
yank  himself  to  his  feet.  It  was  a  slight  hope, 
yet  the  only  one  the  motor  boat  boy  could  see. 

In  the  brief  interval  before  Cragthorpe  seized 
him  roughly,  hurling  him  back  into  the  middle  of 
the  bed,  Tom's  hands  touched  something  on  the 
under  side  of  the  frame.  He  didn't  know  what 
it  was  he  had  touched. 

In  that  brief  though  furious  struggle  Halstead 
had  succeeded  in  working  out  the  handkerchiefs. 
His  oppressor  caught  up  one  of  them. 

"I'll  gag  you  in  better  shape,  this  time,"  he 
proposed. 


176         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

At  that  instant  the  door  of  the  cabin  opened. 
Cragthorpe,  busy  with  his  scheme  of  revenge, 
did  not  hear  it.  But  Halstead  lay  so  that  he 
saw  the  door  move  ajar ;  he  saw  the  head  of  the 
sailor  who,  with  this  watch,  served  in  the  wheel- 
house. 

Over  the  seaman's  face  swept  a  look  of  the 
most  intense  amazement.  He  darted  back  into 
the  darkness,  for  an  instant,  then  returned. 

"One  moment — wait!"  spoke  Tom  Halstead, 
sharply. 

' '  Confound  you — not  so  loud,  if  you  value  your 
safety!"  warned  Cragthorpe. 

Had  not  the  rascal  been  so  intensely  absorbed 
he  would  have  felt  and  noted  the  light  breeze 
that  blew  in  with  the  opening  of  the  door.  But 
Cragthorpe  was  passion-ridden  at  the  moment. 
The  door  closed,  with  the  sailor  and  Third  Offi- 
cer Costigan  in  the  room. 

That  '  '  one  moment — wait ! ' '  Mr.  Costigan  and 
the  sailor  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  under- 
stand was  directed  at  them. 

1 '  That  girl — and  her  brother — you  were  lying 
to  me  about  them,"  taunted  Halstead.  "You 
can't  tell  me  their  names." 

"I  can't — eh?"  sneered  Cragthorpe,  harshly. 
'  <  The  girl 's  name  is  Rose  Gentry,  and  her  broth- 
er's  name  Robert  Gentry." 

"And  the  brother  is  accused  of  murder,  and 


"You  Ought  to  Be  Clubbed!7' 
177 

The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  The  Golden  Gate. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          179 

you  could  prove  him  innocent!  Yet  you  refused 
to  save  the  brother  because  Rose  Gentry  would 
not  marry  you  and  let  you  own  her  fortune?  It's 
a  lie!" 

"It's  the  truth,"  snarled  Cragthorpe,  hotly. 
"And  you  helped  doom  the  brother  when  you 
struck  me  down  before  Rose  Gentry.  You  made 
her  despise  me  the  more. ' ' 

"She  did  well  to  despise  you,"  retorted  Tom 
Halstead5  bluntly.  "You  ought  to  be  dubbed!" 

That  was  exactly  what  happened,  ere  Crag- 
thorpe could  open  his  mouth.  The  seaman  had 
been  crouching  behind  the  fellow,  a  belaying- 
pin  in  his  right  hand.  At  the  word  from  Hal- 
stead  the  sailor  struck,  and  Cragthorpe  fell  to 
the  floor,  stunned. 

Leaving  the  sailor  to  attend  to  Cragthorpe, 
Mr.  Costigan  now  bounded  forward  to  free  the 
young  captain's  hands. 

"How  on  earth  did  this  happen,  sir?"  de- 
manded the  third  officer,  as  he  cut  away  the  cord 
from  the  boy's  wrists. 

"I  dreamed  I  was  fighting  the  fellow," 
laughed  Tom,  "but  woke  up  to  find  he  had 
slipped  my  hands  into  that  noose.  He  had  this 
other  noose  around  my  neck,  threatening  to  draw 
it  uncomfortably  tight  if  I  tried  to  make  any 
outcry." 

Tom  was  now  able  to  slip  out  of  bed  and  pull 


180         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

on  liis  trousers,  while  Mr.  Costigan  turned  on  a 
stronger  light. 

6  'But  how  on  earth  did  you  two  happen  to  come 
to  my  relief  just  at  the  right  time?"  the  young 
skipper  demanded. 

"Why,  you  sounded  the  call  to  the  bridge," 
retorted  the  third  mate. 

"I  sounded  the wait  a  second." 

Tom  bent  over  the  edge  of  his  bed,  feeling 
underneath  along  the  frame. 

"Why,  there's  a  button  here.  Does  that  call 
to  the  bridge?"  demanded  the  motor  boat 
captain. 

"It  certainly  does,"  retorted  the  third  officer. 

"I  didn't  even  know  the  button  was  there," 
gasped  the  young  sailing  master.  '  '  In  my  strug- 
gles I  touched  it  by  accident." 

"I  sent  Oleson,  the  sailor,  to  see  what  you 
wanted,  sir,"  continued  Mr.  Costigan.  "The 
next  tjaing  I  knew  Oleson  backed  out  of  your 
cabin,  grabbed  up  a  belaying-pin,  and  signaled 
to  me.  I  came  quick  and  soft-like,  sir.  And 
now,  Captain,  if  youVe  no  further  orders  for 
me,  sir,  hadn't  I  better  be  traveling  back  to  the 
bridge  ?  The  quartermaster  of  my  watch  is  run- 
ning the  ship  at  this  minute." 

"Go,  then,  Mr.  Costigan,  and  thank  you;  but 
send  the  extra  deck-hand  of  this  watch." 

In  another  moment  the  third  mate's  whistle 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          181 

was  sounding  shrilly.  It  brought  the  extra  man 
of  the  watch  on  the  run. 

4 'Put  these  handcuffs  on  the  fellow  before  he 
comes  to, ' '  ordered  Tom,  going  to  his  desk  and 
taking  out  a  pair  of  manacles.  "  There,  now 
he  won't  do  much  harm  if  he  does  come  out  of 
it  suddenly.  But  I  'm  going  with  you  to  the  brig, 
and  want  to  see  leg  irons  put  on  the  rascal,  too. 
He  won't  have  the  use  of  his  hands  again,  on 
this  yacht.  The  second  steward  will  have  to  feed 
the  fellow  his  meals." 

Tom  quickly  finished  his  dressing.  Just  as  he 
had  done  so  Cragthorpe  uttered  a  deep  sigh  and 
opened  his  eyes.  He  was  still  a  bit  dazed.  Hal- 
stead  waited  for  some  moments  before  speaking. 

"If  you  were  telling  the  truth,  fellow,  about 
Eose  Gentry  and  her  brother,"  taunted  Tom, 
"your  silence  won't  do  you  so  much  good,  now. 
My  third  officer  and  one  of  these  sailors  over- 
heard your  declaration  of  your  infernal  villainy. 
They  can  testify  in  court  in  behalf  of  young 
Gentry.  They'll  help  the  case  quite  a  bit,  I 
guess." 

Cragthorpe  was  enough  himself,  by  this  time, 
to  understand.  He  scowled  blackly,  but  refused 
to  speak. 

"Take  him  along  down  below  to  the  brig, 
now, ' '  ordered  Captain  Halstead. 

As   the  three   navigators   and  their  captive 


182         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

stepped  out  forward  of  the  pilot  house,  Tom 
pointed  over  to  port. 

1 1  There 's  the  boat  of  your  friends,  my  man, ' ' 
laughed  the  young  motor  boat  skipper.  "You've 
told  me,  too,  that  Frank  Boilings  is  aboard  of 
her,  and  that  he  has  the  stolen  funds  with  him. 
Oh,  one  way  and  another,  you  told  me  a  lot  this 
night  that  I'm  glad  to  know!" 

Cragthorpe  uttered  some  savage  language 
under  his  breath  as  he  was  dragged  below. 
Once  again  he  found  himself  in  the  brig,  and  the 
door  locked,  after  the  leg-irons  had  been  fitted. 
This  time,  to  make  doubly  sure  of  his  man,  Hal- 
stead  put  on  a  double  lock  by  means  of  a  chain 
and  padlock,  the  latter  being  of  a  pattern  that 
could  not  be  picked. 

"In  one  way  I  almost  feel  badly  at  doing  this 
to  you,  Cragthorpe,"  Tom  said  to  the  fellow, 
through  the  grating.  "You'll  think  I'm  crow- 
ing over  you,  and  abusing  my  power.  I'd  be 
easier  with  you — but  it  wouldn't  be  safe  for  any- 
one aboard  the  yacht." 

Halstead  then  returned  to  his  cabin,  where, 
at  his  desk,  he  wrote  a  note  to  Mr.  Baldwin,  ad- 
vising the  latter  of  what  he  had  learned  from  the 
man  who  was  once  more  in  the  brig. 

This  note  he  turned  over  to  Mr.  Costigan. 

"Hand  it  to  him  if  he  conies  on  deck  in  the 
morning  before  I  do, "  requested  the  young  skip- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          183 

per.  "Add  anything  you  please,  out  of  what 
you  saw  and  heard  to-night. ' ' 

Then  the  motor  yacht  captain  walked  over  to 
the  port  rail  for  one  more  look  at  the  "Victor." 
The  ' '  Panther ' '  was  still  keeping  abreast  of  her, 
less  than  four  hundred  yards  away.  These  two 
craft  appeared  to  have  the  sea  all  to  themselves. 

"When,  where  and  how  will  this  all  end?" 
wondered  Tom  Halstead. 

Then  he  turned  in  once  more,  this  time  hoping 
for  some  real  rest. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

A   TEICK    MADE    FOR   TWO 

JUST  before  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning 
Tom  Halstead  rolled  over  luxuriously  in 
his  broad  bed. 

"One  more  catnap  wouldn't  feel  half  bad,"  he 
muttered  to  himself.     "However,  I  reckon  I  feel 
about  right.    I've  had  some  of  the  sleep  that 
was  coming  to  me." 
Then: 

"I  wonder  how  my  friend  Cragthorpe  is  this 
morning?  It's  quite  plain  he  hasn't  found  some 
other  trick  for  getting  out  of  the  brig. ' ' 

Tom  yawned  a  couple  of  times,  stretched,  and 
finally  decided  that  he  felt  like  getting  up. 


184         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

While  lie  was  coming  to  this  conclusion  the 
whistle  sounded  in  the  bridge  speaking  tube. 

Springing  out  of  bed,  Tom  took  up  the  mouth- 
piece. . 

" Well ?»  he  called. 

1  'The  'Victor'  is  putting  about,  sir." 

"What's  her  new  course!" 

"Going  right  back  over  the  course  she  came 
out  on,  sir.  Shall  I  turn  and  follow?" 

6 1  What  else  ?  The  only  thing  we  're  living  for 
now,  Mr.  Costigan,  is  to  keep  close  to  that  steam 
yacht.  Follow  her,  without  further  orders,  even 
if  she  starts  to  steaming  in  circles.  I'll  be  out 
soon." 

"Very  good,  sir." 

Tom  looked  slowly  about  him,  then  headed  for 
the  bath-room.  He  took  plenty  of  time  in  the 
warm  water,  finally  dressing.  Mr.  Costigan 's 
watch  had  gone  below,  the  third  officer  having 
left  Tom's  letter  with  Dick  Davis,  to  be  handed 
to  Mr.  Baldwin  when  the  latter  should  appear. 
But,  so  far,  none  of  the  cabin  party  had  yet 
turned  out. 

"All  our  people  are  still  abed,  I  think,  sir," 
smiled  Davis,  when  the  young  motor  boat  captain 
appeared  on  deck. 

"They've  been  worn  out,  by  the  suspense  as 
much  as  by  their  short  hours  of  rest, ' '  Halstead 
replied. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          185 

' '  Now,  you  guess  why  the  steam  craft  has  put 
about,  don 't  you  ? ' '  asked  Halstead,  after  pacing 
the  bridge  for  some  moments  while  he  studied 
the  weather.  « 

"I'm  not  sure  that  I  do,  sir,"  Dick  admitted, 
after  a  moment's  thought. 

"Within  three  or  four  hours,  I'm  willing  to 
wager  you  a  night 's  rest,  we  711  be  back  in  the  fog 
belt,"  Tom  replied,  pointing  ahead.  "Now, 
Boilings  and  the  captain  of  the  '  Victor'  have  felt 
that  they  were  getting  too  far  off  the  course  to 
their  real  destination,  with  us  tagging  right 
alongside  all  the  way.  They  knew  that  the  fog 
bank  was  a  few  hours  astern  of  them  as  they  lay 
on  the  other  course,  so  they're  putting  back  to 
get  into  it." 

"For  what  purpose!"  asked  Dick. 

"Why,  I  suppose  they've  figured  on  some  plan 
for  losing  us  in  the  fog  this  time.  That's  the 
way  their  hopes  run,  anyway. ' ' 

"I  can't  see  any  fog  ahead  of  us,  sir,"  pro- 
claimed Dick.  "And  I  thought  a  fellow  raised 
on  the  Maine  sea-coast  knew  all  about  fogs." 

"There's  Ab  just  coming  up  for  the  day's 
work, ' '  whispered  Tom,  as  the  young  first  officer 
appeared  through  the  companionway  forward. 
6 1  Just  hear  what  he  says. ' ' 

Leaning  forward  over  the  bridge  rail,  Hal- 
stead  called: 


186         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Mr.  Perkins,  what  sort  of  weather  do  yon 
think  lies  ahead  of  us  V ' 

Ab  halted,  looking  all  about  him,  then  peering 
out  for  some  moments  past  the  bow  of  the 
"Panther." 

"I  think,  sir,"  came  the  first  officer's  report, 
at  last,  "we're  heading  back  towards  another 
real  old  San  Francisco  fog." 

"I  surrender,  then,"  nodded  Dick  Davis. 

"We'll  be  in  it  by  noon,  or  before,"  Tom 
Halstead  predicted. 

"And  then,  the  folks  on  that  craft  yonder 
have  it  all  figured  out  to  give  us  the  slip,  sure 
and  easy  this  time,"  muttered  Ab,  as  he 
climbed  the  steps  to  the  bridge. 

Out  of  the  owner's  quarters  stepped  Joseph 
Baldwin  and  came  forward,  stretching  and  in- 
haling deeply  the  outdoor  air.  Captain  Tom 
Halstead  stepped  down  from  the  bridge  to  meet 
him. 

"Haven't  the  other  crowd  changed  their 
course  a  bit?"  asked  Mr.  Baldwin. 

Halstead  explained  the  new  move  on  the  part 
of  the  navigator  of  the  "Victor." 

"Going  to  try  to  lose  us,  are  they?"  chuckled 
Baldwin.  "If  they  do,  Captain,  they  are  clever 
people.  If  they  can  get  away  from  you  I'm 
positive  it  won't  be  your  fault." 

Then,  stretching  like  a  man  who  has  had  a 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          187 

fine,  long  sleep,  and  who  isn't  yet  over  the 
enjoyment  of  it,  the  owner  added: 

"Thank  goodness,  nothing  happened  during 
the  night !" 

"Nothing  happened  in  the  night,  eh!  I'm 
glad  it  was  all  carried  off  so  quietly,  sir,  that 
you  weren't  disturbed  by  it." 

"Why,  did  anything  happen?" 

"The  fire,  in  the  first  place " 

"Of  course;  but  I  meant,  nothing  after  I 
turned  in  again." 

"Something  certainly  did  happen,"  laughed 
Halstead.  "I  left  a  note  for  you  with  the 
watch  officer,  in  case  you  came  on  deck  be- 
fore I  did.  Now,  however,  I  can  tell  you  about 
it." 

And  that  Tom  Halstead  proceeded  to  do. 
"While  he  was  still  engaged  in  the  narration  Mr. 
Eoss  came  up  on  deck,  and  had  to  hear  the  tale. 
Just  at  its  finish  Dr.  Gray  appeared,  followed 
by  Gaston  Giddings.  The  latter  young  man, 
though  wholly  out  of  the  influence  of  morphine 
now,  looked  seedy  and  sullen.  Plainly,  he  re- 
sented his  enforced  abstinence  from  drugs. 

"I  want  to  see  that  infernal  rascal,  Crag- 
thorpe,"  muttered  Mr.  Baldwin.  "Captain, 
won't  you  be  good  enough  to  have  him  brought 
on  deck?" 

So  Ab  was  summoned,  and  instructed  to  take 


188         THE    MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

the  extra  seaman  of  the  watch,  as  well  as 
Quartermaster  Bickson,  and  bring  the  prisoner 
to  deck. 

" Bring  him  by  force,  if  you  have  to," 
added  Captain  Tom,  dryly. 

In  a  short  time  the  quartermaster  and  sea- 
man appeared,  all  but  dragging  Cragthorpe, 
while  Ab  Perkins  brought  up  the  rear  of  the 
procession,  giving  the  doubly  manacled  fellow 
an  occasional  shove. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  Gaston  Giddings 
had  seen  the  prisoner.  The  instant  he  did  so, 
now,  the  young  bank  president  looked  sud- 
denly angry. 

"Mr.  Baldwin,"  demanded  Gaston  Giddings, 
"why  is  this  gentleman  under  such  restraint?" 

"Gentleman?"  demanded  Baldwin,  with 
withering  scorn.  "Why,  my  boy,  about  whom 
are  you  talking?" 

"Why  is  Mr.  Cragthorpe  ironed,  on  board 
this  yacht?"  insisted  Giddings,  his  face  now 
white  and  stern  with  increasing  anger. 

"Well,  then,  I'll  tell  you,"  sniffed  Joseph 
Baldwin.  "That  fellow  is  in  irons  because  he 
joined  us  from  the  '  Victor/  His  first  enter- 
prise on  board  was  to  try  to  put  one  of  our 
motors  out  of  the  running.  His  next  effort  was 
to  set  this  yacht  on  fire,  last  night.  After  that, 
lie  broke  into  Captain  Halstead's  cabin,  pre- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          189 

sumably  with  the  intention  of  killing  the  navi- 
gator of  this  yacht;  at  any  rate,  he  meant  to 
injure  Captain  Halstead  severely.  Those  are 
some  of  the  reasons,  Giddings,  my  boy,  why 
Cragthorpe  is  now  guarded  as  carefully  as  a 
mad  dog  might  be  if  we  didn't  possess  the 
right  to  kill  it." 

While  speaking,  Joseph  Baldwin  studied  the 
young  bank  president's  face  keenly.  After  a 
pause,  the  older  man  went  on: 

"And  now,  Giddings,  if  you  concede  that  I 
have  any  right  to  be  curious,  in  turn,  I'd  like 
to  ask  you  why  you  are  so  intensely  interested 
in  this  scoundrel!" 

From  the  instant  Cragthorpe  had  caught 
sight  of  the  face  of  Gaston  Giddings,  the  man 
in  irons  had  stood  more  at  ease,  a  sneer  on  his 
face. 

"Cragthorpe  is  a  friend  of  mine,"  replied 
Giddings,  stiffly. 

"Indeed?  Then  I  regret  to  say  that  I  can't 
congratulate  you  on  your  choice  of  friends." 

"I  demand  that  you  set  Mr.  Cragthorpe 
free!"  cried  young  Giddings,  in  a  voice  pas- 
sionate with  anger. 

"That's  a  request,  my  boy,  that  I'm  not  at 
all  inclined  to  grant,  even  had  I  the  power," 
retorted  Baldwin,  coolly,  yet  speaking  as 
though  he  did  not  wish  needlessly  to  further 


190         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

rouse   the   anger   of   Giddings.     "You   see,    I 
haven't  any  power  to  give  the  order." 

1 1  No  power ! ' '  snorted  Giddings.  ' l  Don 't  you 
own  this  yacht?" 

"I  do;  but  Halstead  is  her  captain.  It  is 
one  of  the  rules  of  the  sea  that,  after  a  vessel 
leaves  her  anchorage,  her  captain  commands 
her  absolutely  until  port  is  again  reached." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  this  boy  would 
refuse  to  free  Cragthorpe,  if  you  commanded 
it!"  demanded  Giddings,  hotly,  a  flushed  spot 
burning  in  either  cheek. 

"What  would  you  say,  Captain  Halstead,  if 
I  demanded  the  release  of  the  prisoner  ? ' '  asked 
Baldwin,  facing  the  young  motor  boat  skipper 
with  smiling  eyes. 

"I'd  refuse,  sir,"  Tom  replied,  promptly. 
"In  my  opinion  the  *  Panther'  isn't  safe  a  min- 
ute when  Cragthorpe  is  out  of  the  brig.  Take 
the  prisoner  back  to  the  brig,  Mr.  Perkins." 

Gaston  Giddings,  with  a  wrathful  cry,  started 
forward,  but  Tom  blocked  his  way. 

"You  know  you're  pleasing  the  owner  you 
sail  for,  or  you  wouldn't  dare  do  this  thing," 
choked  the  young  bank  president.  " 

The  prisoner  was  speedily  taken  below. 

Gaston  Giddings  stamped  angrily  aft,  while 
Joseph  Baldwin's  eyes  followed  the  young  man 
•with  a  wondering  look. 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          191 

"Mr.  Perkins/7  directed  Tom,  when  Ab  came 
back  on  deck,  "lock  the  door  of  the  passage 
leading  to  the  Tbrig,  and  leave  the  key  with  the 
watch  officer,  with  instructions  to  turn  it  over 
to  his  successor  on  the  bridge.'7  Tom's  order 
was  given  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  Gid- 
dings  from  making  any  attempt  to  reach  and 
aid  Cragthorpe. 

"I'm  going  to  have  Doc  Gray  try  to  find  out 
what  part  Cragthorpe  has  been  playing  in  the 
life  of  our  young  friend,  Giddings,"  Mr.  Bald- 
win confided  to  the  young  skipper.  "I've  a 
suspicion,  already,  though." 

"May  I  ask,  sir,  what  you  suspect?" 

"Well,  since  Giddings  has  become  a  con- 
firmed ' hop-fiend,'  and  Cragthorpe  comes  to  us 
from  the  Boilings  crowd,  I  think  it  most  likely 
that  Boilings  has  been  employing  Cragthorpe 
to  cultivate  Giddings 's  acquaintance  and  lure 
him  on  into  the  opium  habit.  Such  drugs  de- 
stroy a  man's  will,  his  sense  of  justice — they 
rot  his  very  soul!" 

"So,  then,  sir,  you  think  Boilings  has  been, 
for  some  time,  engaged  in  a  deliberate  plot  to 
acquire  an  ascendancy  over  Mr.  Giddings  and 
ruin  him?" 

"That's  my  suspicion,  stated  in  a  few  words, 
Captain. ' ' 

Through  the  forenoon  the  chase  on  the  course 


192         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

back  to  San  Francisco  continued  without 
change.  By  eleven  o'clock  both  yachts  were 
moving  through  occasional  light  blotches  of 
fog,  though  the  two  craft  still  moved  in  sight 
of  each  other.  An  hour  later,  however,  the  two 
yachts,  with  speed  now  down  to  eight  miles 
an  hour,  entered  a  dense,  white  gloom  in  which 
they  were  soon  shut  out  from  sight  of  each 
other.  Now,  Captain  Tom  was  reduced  to  the 
old  trick  of  going  by  sound. 

Fortunately,  the  "Victor"  sounded  a  fog- 
horn at  regular  intervals  of  sixty  seconds,  as 
did  the  "Panther." 

"I'm  not  going  to  take  any  chances,  how- 
ever, sir,"  Tom  confided  to  the  owner.  "I'm 
going  to  keep  close  enough  to  hear  her  ma- 
chinery, too." 

Passing  through  the  fog,  the  unseen  "Vic- 
tor" was  off  the  better  part  of  three  hundred 
yards  to  port  of  the  "Panther." 

Of  a  sudden,  however,  there  came  a  note  that 
was  new.  Tom  and  Joe,  in  the  captain's  cabin, 
heard  it,  and  ran  out  on  deck.  Davis  was  bend- 
ing over  the  starboard  rail  of  the  bridge  in  his 
effort  to  comprehend  the  new  sound. 

"Too-whoo-oo!"  Nearly  abeam,  and  some 
three  hundred  yards  off  to  starboard,  that  new 
sound  came — a  fog-horn  identical  with  the 
"Victor's." 


AT    THE    GOLDEN    GATE          193 

"What  on  earth  is  the  trick,  now?"  won- 
dered Joe  Dawson. 

"I'd  be  willing  to  give  a  day's  pay  to  guess 
it  all  at  once,"  responded  the  young  skipper. 

"Too-whoo-oo!"  sounded  the  "Panther's" 
fog-horn.  "Too-whoo-oo!"  came  the  answer, 
from  port,  presumably  from  the  "Victor's" 
fog-horn.  "Too-whoo-oo!"  came  like  an  echo 
from  starboard. 

"It  sounds  like  the  first  move  in  a  game  to 
mix  us  up,"  muttered  Tom  Halstead,  shrewdly. 

"But  what  craft  can  be  off  at  starboard?" 
questioned  young  Dawson. 

"Probably  a  steam  launch,  put  off  from  the 
' Victor,'  with  a  similar  fog-horn,"  rejoined 
Captain  Halstead. 

"Or  a  motor  launch,"  suggested  Joe. 

"No;  I  don't  believe  that.  If  it  were  a 
motor  launch  we'd  hear  the  chug-chug  of  her 
exhaust.  It  must  be  a  steam  launch.  A  steam 
craft  of  small  size  can  be  run  more  quietly." 
-  "That's  true,"  assented  young  Dawson. 
"Still,  our  power  tender  has  a  pretty  silent 
exhaust. ' ' 

"Great  scheme!"  grinned  Tom,  suddenly. 

"What?" 

"I'm  going  to  play  a  return  trick  on  Roll- 
ings's  captain." 

"How?" 

13—  The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


194         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"We  have  two  reserve  fog-horns  that  are 
identical  in  sound.  I'm  going  to  rig  one  of 
'em  on  the  l  Panther/  using  it  in  the  place  of 
the  one  we're  now  sounding." 

"Yes " 

"And  rig  the  other  fog-horn  on  the  power 
launch,"  chuckled  Tom.  "Then  we'll  put 
Bickson  and  his  own  deckhand  in  the  power 
launch  and  send  'em  around  to  cruise  to  port 
of  the  ' Victor.'  Thus  we'll  keep  those  fellows 
guessing,  too,  what's  in  the  wind." 

Joe  chuckled,  but  he  added: 

"Tom,  you'd  better  ask  Mr.  Jephson  to  send 
one  of  his  deputy  marshals  along,  armed,  or 
something  might  happen  that  our  power  launch 
and  two  men  would  be  bagged." 

"That's  a  sound  idea,  too,"  Captain  Tom 
nodded.  Half  an  hour  later  the  "Panther's" 
power  launch,  containing  Bickson,  a  seaman 
and  a  deputy  marshal,  stole  as  noiselessly  as 
possible  around  to  the  port  side  of  the  "Vic- 
tor" in  the  great,  thick  fog.  Now,  there  were 
four  fog-horns,  sounding  all  at  once.  The  four 
power  craft  were  moving  practically  in  one 
line. 

.  "Say,  that's  a  funny  stunt,  surely,"  chuckled 
Joseph  Baldwin,  when  he  heard  the  four  fog- 
horns almost  at  once,  and  understood  what  the 
move  meant. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          195 

"It  may  have  another  good  effect/'  sug- 
gested Halstead. 

"matt*' 

"Any  sailing  vessel  headed  our  way,  hearing 
four  horns,  is  likely  to  steer  well  out  of  the 
way  of  the  whole  fleet,  thus  lessening  the 
danger  of  collision. " 

Barely  two  minutes  later  another  sound  in- 
tensely interested  the  watchers  aboard  the 
"Panther." 

Out  of  the  white  gloom  ahead,  some  hundreds 
of  yards,  and  almost  bow-on  from  the  "Pan- 
ther," came  the  long-drawn-out  hail: 

"He-e-elp!" 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Joseph  Baldwin, 
starting. 

"He-elp!"  came  the  appeal  once  more. 

6  '  Sounds  like  the  latest  trick  from  our  friends 
on  the  *  Victor,'  "  grinned  Captain  Tom  Hal- 
stead. 

Ab  Perkins,  with  the  megaphone  in  his  hand, 
had  pushed  his  way  up  to  the  very  peak  of  the 
bow. 

"Ahoy!"  he  bawled,  lustily,  through  the 
voice-carrier.  "Who's  in  need  of  help!" 

Back  came  the  answer,  faint,  yet  distinct: 

"A  castaway  in  a  dory!  For  heaven's  sake, 
pick  me  up!" 

"Not  a  thing  happened  after  we  picked  up 


196         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

the  last  castaway  in  a  small  boat,"  uttered 
Joseph  Baldwin,  sarcastically. 

"That  hail  sounded  like  a  boy's  voice,"  mut- 
tered Tom. 

"If  you  pick  anyone  up  in  this  fog,  be  care- 
ful!" cautioned  the  owner. 

"Oh,  won't  I  be  careful,  though?"  retorted 
Skipper  Tom.  "Yet  I've  half  a  mind  to  pick 
this  chap  up,  just  to  see  what  the  game  is.  My 
curiosity  is  working  over-time.  I'm  anxious 
to  see  the  newest  trick  from  the  hands  that 
steer  the  ' Victor'!" 


CHAPTER   XIX 

TED    DYEB,    SAILOR    BY    MAREIAGE 


STIIJj  Ab  continued  to  hail  from  the  bow 
of  the  motor  yacht,  young  Captain  Tom 
having  gone  forward  to  stand  by  him 
and  give  directions. 

"We'll  take  you  aboard,  and  have  a  look  at 
you,  anyway,"  Ab  called  through  the  mega- 
phone. "That  is,  if  you  make  us  closely 
enough  to  catch  a  rope  from  us.  But  we  won't 
change  our  course,  or  stop  ship." 

"Sa-ay,  that's  hardly  fair!"  came  the  indig- 
nant protest. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          197 

"If  you  want  to  get  aboard  this  craft,  do  as 
we  tell  you,"  Ab  Perkins  retorted,  doughtily. 

"A-all  right!  I  can't  stay  out  on  the  ocean 
alone  any  longer,  anyway!"  came  back  the 
answer,  with  a  new  note  of  determination  in  it. 

"Then  stop  talking,"  directed  Ab,  "and  get 
down  to  your  oars,  so  as  to  run  just  alongside 
of  us.  And  stand  by  to  catch  the  line  that'll  be 
thrown  to  you." 

"Aye,  aye,  sir!" 

Catching  up  a  coil  of  line,  Perkins  ran  down 
nearer  the  waist  of  the  ship.  A  seaman  stood 
by  with  the  ship's  end  of  a  rope  boarding-lad- 
der made  fast.  Captain  Tom  remained  up  in 
the  "Panther's"  bow. 

Then,  out  of  the  fog,  shot  a  dory  into  sight. 
In  it  sat  a  boy  of  about  sixteen,  wearing  only 
a  ragged  shirt  and  hardly  less  ragged  trousers. 
He  bent  at  a  pair  of  oars,  his  glance  c^t  back- 
ward over  one  shoulder  as  he  guided  the  craft 
so  as  to  pass  the  "Panther"  without  being  en- 
gulfed by  her. 

It  was  close  work,  and  required  rather  fine 
seamanship  on  the  part  of  the  boy  in  the  boat. 

Had  the  "Panther"  been  going  at  anything 
like  her  full  speed  the  effort  to  lay  alongside 
would  have  ended  in  disaster.  Even  as  it  was, 
Captain  Tom  Halstead  watched  with  not  a  little 
anxiety. 


198         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

" Ready — catch  the  line!"  sang  Ab  Perkins. 
The  young  executive  officer  of  the  "Panther" 
possessed  fine  judgment  and  a  straight  eye  for 
such  work.  As  the  coil  left  Ab's  hand  it  went 
whirling,  uncoiling,  through  the  air.  The  line 
landed  fairly  across  the  shoulder  of  the  other 
boy  below.  He  caught  the  rope,  then  sank 
down  to  the  middle  seat  of  the  dory,  bracing 
himself  and  holding  on  hard. 

As  the  line  became  taut  the  bow  of  the  dory 
was  yanked  about.  The  little  craft  heeled  a 
bit,  then  righted,  bumping  in  against  the  larger 
hull,  then  gliding  off  and  riding  rather  easy. 

The  seaman  at  Ab's  side  now  dropped  the 
rope  boarding-ladder  overboard  so  that  its 
lower  end  rested  fairly  in  the  dory. 

"Swing  onto  the  ladder,  and  kick  the  dory 
loose,"  directed  Ab  Perkins,  steadily.  "I 
reckon  y»u  can  do  it." 

"Don't  you  want  to  recover  the  dory,  to  pay 
for  my  passage  to  land?"  inquired  the  boy 
below. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  uttered  Ab.  "Too  much 
truck  aboard  now." 

"Then  here  comes — not  much  of  anything," 
laughed  the  boy,  in  a  clear,  cool  voice,  as  he 
seized  the  rope  ladder,  and  sprang  up  onto  it. 
As  he  left  the  dory  that  little  craft  drifted 
astern,  soon  to  be  lost  to  sight  in  the  great  fog. 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          199 

In  another  moment  the  boy  was  aboard.  No 
stranger  was  he  to  the  sea.  That  much  could 
be  told  by  the  neat,  seaman-like  way  in  which 
he  came  up  the  rope  boarding-ladder. 

"I've  come  on  board,  sir,"  laughed  the 
stranger,  touching  the  make-shift  for  a  cap 
which  he  wore. 

"So  I  see,"  nodded  Tom  Halstead,  coming 
aft  from  the  bow.  "What's  your  name?" 

"Ted  Dyer." 

"Hailing  port?" 

"  'Frisco." 

"Sailor,  by  trade?" 

"No,"  laughed  Ted,  his  eyes  twinkling;  "a 
sailor  by  marriage." 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Halstead,  almost 
sharply.  He  almost  suspected  that  the  other 
boy  was  making  game  of  him.  If  Dyer  came 
from  the  "Victor,"  such  levity  was  misplaced. 

"My  mother's  sister  married  a  captain  of  a 
freight  schooner, ' '  Ted  explained,  more  soberly. 

"Oh.  So  you,  so  to  speak,  ran  away  to  sea 
with  your  uncle?" 

"No;  he  ran  away  from  me  at  sea,"  an- 
swered young  Dyer,  more  soberly. 

"How  long  has  your  uncle  been  captain  of 
the  i Victor'?"  Halstead  demanded,  swiftly, 
hoping  to  catch  this  other  boy  off  his  guard. 

"The  'Victor'?"  repeated  Ted,  opening  his 


200         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

eyes  wide.  If  he  was  shamming,  then  it  was  a 
fine  bit  of  acting. 

"Didn't  you  come  from  the  steam  yacht 
' Victor '!"  demanded  Captain  Tom,  looking 
hard  at  the  boy. 

"Never  heard  of  the  craft  before/'  declared 
Ted.  Then:  "Hold  on,  though.  I'm  lying 
without  meaning  to,  it  would  seem.  Yes;  I 
know  the  ' Victor.'  She's  a  hundred  and 
twenty-two  foot  steam  yacht,  fine  and  fast." 

"That's  the  l Victor'  just  over  to  port,"  went 
on  Tom,  still  eyeing  the  other  youth,  closely. 

"Is  it!"  asked  Ted  Dyer.  "Then  your  eye- 
sight is  sharper  than  mine." 

"Don't  try  to  get  funny,"  warned  Halstead. 

"I  don't  want  to,"  protested  Ted.  "You  all 
strike  me  as  first-rate  fellows.  And,  anyway, 
you've  fished  me  up  out  of  the  vasty  deep,  so 
to  speak.  Where's  your  captain!" 

"You're  looking  at  him,"  replied  Halstead. 

"Again,"  laughed  Ted,  "you're  crediting 
me  with  finer  eyesight  than  I  possess. ' ' 

"I  am  the  captain,"  Tom  replied,  struggling 
against  an  inclination  to  like  this  boy.  Ted  was 
so  brimming  over  with  good  humor,  that  it 
seemed  almost  wicked  to  suspect  him  of  any- 
thing worse  than  being  hungry. 

"You're  the  captain!"  demanded  Ted,  taken 
aback,  and  staring  hard.  Then,  as  he  took  in 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          201 

the  details  of  Halstead 's  uniform,  and  noted 
the  looks  on  the  faces  of  the  others  about  him, 
he  became  convinced. 

"Captain "  began  Ted. 

"Halstead,"  supplied  Tom. 

"Captain  Halstead,  as  I'll  have  to  dead-beat 
my  passage*  back  to  San  Francisco,  I  shall  be 
mighty  glad  if  you'll  assign  me  to  some  work 
to  do." 

"On  your  word  of  honor  you  didn't  come  off 
the  *  Victor7?"  insisted  the  young  skipper,  still 
looking  hard  at  the  new  arrival  on  board. 

"On  my  honor  I  didn't.  "Why?  Is  it  a  crime 
to  come  on  board  from  the  i  Victor  'I" 

"Very  nearly,"  Halstead  replied,  dryly. 
"We've  got  one  fellow  in  the  brig  on  board, 
charged  with  that  very  offense." 

"Whew!"  muttered  Ted,  looking  grave. 
"Then  what's  the  sentence  for  coming  on 
board  from  a  dory?" 

"How  did  you  come  to  be  in  that  dory?" 
pressed  the  young  skipper  of  the  "Panther." 

"You  might  call  it  mainly  my  uncle's  of- 
fense," replied  Ted  Dyer,  more  gravely.  "You 
see,  my  parents  are  dead.  They  left  me  a  little 
money,  and  put  me  under  the  guardianship  of 
my  uncle.  He  put  the  money  into  the  freight 
schooner,  *  Nancy.'  However,  even  at  that, 
some  of  the  earnings  of  the  schooner  had  to  be 


202         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

put  aside  as  belonging  to  my  estate.  So  my 
uncle,  being  a  bright  man,  conceived  the  idea, 
night  before  last,  of  putting  me  adrift  in  the 
dory  you  fished  me  out  of.  At  the  time  he  had 
only  a  drunken  sailor  named  Griggs  on  deck 
with  him.  Griggs  is  a  fellow  my  uncle,  Cap- 
tain Dalton,  by  name,  can  depend  on.  Uncle 
got  me  to  go  into  the  dory  that  was  towing 
astern.  Made  believe  he  wanted  me  to  see  if 
anything  had  fouled  the  rudder.  Then  he  cut 
the  line  and  left  me  adrift.  I  guess  he  figured 
that  there  was  a  storm  coming;  that  I'd  never 
be  heard  from  again,  and  that  he'd  get  the 
schooner  all  for  himself. " 

"The  infernal  scoundrel! "  breathed  Hal- 
stead,  indignantly.  Then,  remembering  his 
first  suspicions,  he  shot  in,  closely: 

"So  your  uncle  isn't  captain  of  the  'Vic- 
tor'!" " 

"What's  the  joke?"  demanded  Ted,  gazing 
at  those  about  him,  a  look  of  wonder  in  his 
innocent  blue  eyes. 

Tom  Halstead  was  beginning  to  soften. 
Despite  the  grave  need  of  caution  and  sus- 
picion, Ted 's  honest  good  nature  was  infectious. 
Besides,  as  both  the  yachts  were  going  at  eight 
miles  an  hour,  and  the  "Victor"  was  travel- 
ing only  abeam,  anyway,  how  could  a  boy  in 
a  dory  put  off  from  the  steam  yacht  be  so  far 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          203 

ahead  of  the  position  of  either  boat  as  to  come 
down  upon  the  "Panther'7  in  the  fashion  Ted 
had  done!  Altogether,  Captain  Tom  felt  that 
he  might  do  well  to  drop  some  of  his  suspicions. 
That  same  idea  was  occurring  to  some  of  the 
others  who  listened.  It  was  Joe  Dawson,  how- 
ever, who  first  gave  voice  to  this  new  idea. 

"I  reckon  Ted  is  all  right,  Captain, "  spoke 
up  the  young  chief  engineer.  "At  any  rate,  I 
feel  willing  to  go  bail  for  his  good  behavior  on 
this  craft. " 

"I  guess  this  youngster  is  all  right,  Cap- 
tain/9 spoke  Joseph  Baldwin,  next  stepping 
forward.  "I'll  take  a  chance  with  him,  if 
you're  willing." 

Ted  Dyer,  meanwhile,  was  looking  from  one 
face  to  another,  as  though  he  wondered  what 
kind  of  a  crowd  he  had  encountered. 

"You  may  think  us  a  bit  strange,  Dyer," 
spoke  Tom,  with  a  quiet  smile.  "The  truth  is, 
we  have  the  best  of  reasons  for  being  suspicious 
of  the  other  yacht  you've  heard  us  talking 
about.  You  can  stay  aboard,  and  we'll  try  to 
make  you  comfortable." 

"I  haven't  anything  else  to  do,  sir,"  said 
Joe,  turning  once  more  to  the  young  captain. 
"I'll  take  Dyer  in  hand  if  you  say  so." 

"Go  ahead,"  assented  Halstead.  "First  of 
all,  take  him  below,  Mr.  Dawson,  and  intro- 


204         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

duce  him  to  the  cook.    I  imagine  that  will  be 
agreeable. ' ' 

"You're  good  at  guessing,  Captain, "  laughed 
the  San  Francisco  boy,  saluting. 

"Come  along  then,  Ted  Dyer,"  proposed  Joe, 
taking  him  by  the  arm  with  a  friendly  grip. 
"You  can  come  below  to  my  cabin  and  chat 
while  you  eat." 

"I  guess  I  can  do  a  lot  of  both,"  admitted 
the  San  Francisco  boy,  going  along  with  Joe 
after  making  a  bow  that  was  intended  to  in- 
clude everyone. 

Joe,  however,  did  not  at  first  press  the  other 
boy  to  talk  much,  but  was  delighted  at  seeing 
Dyer  able  to  stow  away  so  much  satisfying 
food. 

"Now,"  demanded  the  newcomer,  pushing 
his  chair  back  from  the  table,  "what  am  I  go- 
ing to  do  aboard  this  craft  to  earn  my  way!" 

"What  do  you  know  best  how  to  do?"  asked 
Dawson. 

"You  said  you  are  the  ctief  engineer?" 

"Yes." 

"If  there's  anything  I'm  crazy  about,"  con- 
fessed Ted  Dyer,  "it's  machinery.  Why 
couldn't  I  go  to  work  in  your  engine  room?" 

"That's  a  rather  unfortunate  question,"  re- 
turned Joe,  feeling  a  bit  uncomfortable.  "You 
see,  the  fellow  who  really  did  come  aboard 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          205 

from  the  l Victor'  got  into  the  engine  room 
and  tried  to  put  our  machinery  into  a  useless 
condition.  So  you  can  understand  why  Cap- 
tain Halstead  would  stare  if  I  told  him  I  had 
put  you  in  the  engine  room." 

"What's  all  this  business  about  the  l Vic- 
tor,' anyway?"  demanded  Ted  Dyer,  curiously. 

So  Joe  told  him  enough  to  enable  the  other 
boy  to  understand,  including  the  fact  that  a 
United  States  assistant  district  attorney  and 
two  deputy  marshals  were  aboard  intent  upon 
arresting  a  bank  absconder  believed  to  be  on 
board  the  "Victor." 

"And  that  boat  is  trying  to  lose  you  in  the 
fog,  so  that  Mr.  Absconder  can  get  away?" 
asked  Ted  Dyer,  understandingly. 

"That's  the  case,  Dyer." 

"Then  I  can  understand  why  it  wouldn't 
look  well  for  me  to  ask  for  a  job  in  the  engine 
room,"  pondered  Ted,  thoughtfully.  "I  sup- 
pose, though,  I  could  go  in  and  help  the  cook. 
I  couldn't  do  any  harm  there.  Yes,  I  could, 
though;  I  might  poison  the  dishes  or  the  food." 

Joe  Dawson  gave  a  hearty  laugh,  so  com- 
pletely was  he  disarmed  of  suspicion  of  the  other 
boy. 

"I  guess  perhaps  we'd  better  leave  it  all  to 
Captain  Halstead,"  proposed  Joe  Dawson. 
"He's  a  fine,  splendid  fellow,  as  you'll  find." 


206         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Fine  and  suspicions, "  retorted  Ted,  with  a 
grimace. 

"He  has  to  be,  on  a  strange  cruise  like  this. 
But  you'll  find  Captain  Tom  Halstead  as  good 
as  fine  gold,  Ted.  Halstead  is  my  chum." 

"If  he's  your  chum,"  vouchsafed  Dyer, 
heartily,  "then  I'll  take  my  oath  he's  all 
right." 

"Come  up  on  deck,"  nodded  Joe,  moving 
toward  the  companion  way. 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE   FIND   IN   THE   FOREHOLD 

TED   DYER'S   place   was   quickly   deter- 
mined upon. 

Bickson,  the  chief  quartermaster, 
who  attended  to  the  general  "policing"  of  the 
yacht — that  is,  the  cleaning  up  and  the  sani- 
tary care  of  the  boat,  had  one  seaman  assigned 
to  help  him.  Ted  was  added  as  an  extra  hand 
in  this  line,  being  placed  at  once  under  the  or- 
ders of  the  quartermaster  who  was  acting  in 
Bickson 's  place  while  the  latter  was  out  in  the 
launch. 

"It  looks,  now,  as  though  Dyer  is  all  right, 
from  the  ground  up,  quartermaster,"  Captain 
Tom  said,  in  a  low  voice.  "At  the  same  time, 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          207 

of  course,  you'll  keep  a  general  eye  on  the 
youngster?" 

"I  certainly  will,  Captain." 

" Above  all,  don't  let  him  get  anywhere  near 
the  prisoner  in  the  brig.  Don't  permit  any  pos- 
sibility of  communication  between  Dyer  and 
Cragthorpe. ' ' 

"I  understand,  Captain." 

Before  he  had  been  at  work  for  an  hour  Ted 
Dyer  was  earning  golden  good  opinions  from 
the  acting  chief  quartermaster.  Not  the  slight- 
est curiosity  did  the  new  member  of  the  crew 
display  about  anything  that  didn't  concern  him. 
As  a  worker  Ted  Dyer  was  number  one. 

About  three  o'clock  the  evidence  of  a  new 
game  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  came  to  notice. 
The  steam  launch  of  the  "Victor"  ceased 
sounding  her  whistle  off  at  the  starboard  of 
the  "Panther."  Tom  Halstead,  who  was  on 
deck,  ready  to  note  the  slightest  sign,  became 
instantly  suspicious. 

"Mr.  Davis,"  he  called,  "sound  the  agreed-on 
signal  from  our  own  fog-horn  for  Bickson  to 
come  in,  post-haste  with  our  power  boat." 

From  the  "Panther's"  fog-horn  sounded 
four  short  blasts. 

Just  a  few  minutes  later  Tom  Halstead,  lis- 
tening at  the  rail,  heard  the  "Victor's"  ma- 
chinery moving  at  faster  rate. 


208         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

" There  they  go,  stealing  away  from  us," 
muttered  the  young  skipper. 

"And  not  sounding  their  fog-horn  any  more, 
either, "  commented  Joseph  Baldwin. 

"It  won't  take  'em  long  to  get  out  of  our 
hearing,  if  our  tender  doesn't  get  in,"  pre- 
dicted Halstead. 

"Confound  Bickson!  Where  is  he?  What's 
he  doing!"  demanded  the  "Panther's"  owner, 
impatiently. 

Barely  thirty  seconds  later,  however,  the 
"Panther's"  power  tender  shot  in  alongside. 
The  falls  and  tackle  were  lowered  swiftly.  The 
instant  when  the  hoisting  began  Halstead  called 
sharply : 

"Mr.  Davis,  start  us  forward  on  the  jump. 
Don't  let  those  tricksters  slip  us  in  that 
fashion. ' ' 

Second  Officer  Davis  gave  the  order  for  in- 
creased speed.  Then,  before  it  could  be  car- 
ried out,  he  cried,  excitedly: 

"What  has  become  of  the  ' Victor,'  sir?  Can 
you  hear  her  machinery,  now?" 

Tom  Halstead  listened  intently,  growing 
paler.  Barely  forty-five  seconds  before  he  had 
had  the  enemy  within  sound.  Now,  not  a  single 
trace  of  noise  came  to  him  over  the  waters. 

"By  Jove!  they've  slipped  us,"  he  groaned, 
uneasily. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          209 

"That's  what,"  confessed  Dick,  in  a  hushed, 
scared  voice. 

Joseph  Baldwin's  face  was  a  study  in  intense 
anxiety. 

"I'm  afraid  the  steam  yacht  has  gotten  away 
from  us,  Captain,"  he  remarked.  "If  that 
really  has  happened,  I  don't  blame  you.  The 
chances,  in  a  game  of  this  sort,  and  under  these 
conditions,  are  all  with  the  fugitive." 

"Perhaps  it  isn't  a  matter  of  blame,"  mut- 
tered Skipper  Tom,  his  face  chalk-white,  his 
hands  nervously  gripping  at  the  port  deck  rail. 
"But  I'm  chagrined — ashamed,  just  the  same. 
What  have  those  rascals  done?  Have  they 
stopped  speed  altogether?  Are  they  drifting, 
so  that,  if  we  go  ahead,  we  are  drawing  fur- 
ther away  from  them  all  the  time  ?  Or  did  they 
shoot  well  ahead  of  us,  then  succeed  in  running 
with  almost  no  noise,  and  on  a  new  course, 
so  that  they  are  slipping  further  away  from  us 
every  minute?  Shall  we  stop  and  drift?  Or,  if 
we  go  ahead,  what  speed  and  which  course  shall 
we  take?  Confound  the  wretches!" 

"It  is  a  big  problem,"  admitted  Joseph  Bald- 
win, his  own  face  as  white  as  that  of  the  young 
skipper. 

"Have  you  any  orders,  sir?"  asked  Halstead, 
quickly. 

"No,"  replied  Joseph  Baldwin,  slowly.    "All 

14—  The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


210         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

I  can  do  is  to  guess.  That's  all  you  can  do, 
either,  Captain  Halstead;  but  your  guess  is 
just  as  likely  to  be  the  right  one  as  is  my 
own. ' ' 

The  "Panther"  was  now  traveling  at  a  speed 
of  twelve  miles,  sounding  her  fog-horn  twice 
in  the  minute. 

"The  worst  of  it  is  that  our  horn  betrays  us 
to  the  enemy,"  muttered  Tom.  "They  have 
no  respect  for  the  laws  of  the  sea,  so  that  we 
give  them  guide,  while  they  give  us  nothing 
in  return," 

"We  won't  quite  give  up  hope,"  uttered  Mr. 
Baldwin,  dispiritedly.  "At  the  same  time,  I 
fancy  we're  now  as  good  as  whipped.  I  don't 
see  any  chance  for  us." 

"'The  only  chance  that's  left,"  replied  Skip- 
per Tom,  "is  the  chance  of  luck.  Until  you 
give  other  orders,  sir,  I  shall  keep  to  the  same 
course,  and  at  the  same  speed." 

Baldwin  nodded,  turning  away.  Somehow, 
the  depressing  news  had  passed  around.  The 
cabin  passengers  came  pouring  out  on  deck, 
asking  well-nigh  innumerable  questions  of  the 
young  captain  and  of  the  sadly  perplexed 
owner. 

"All  I  can  say,"  replied  Mr.  Baldwin  to  his 
questioners,  "is  that  we  must  depend  upon  the 
slender  chance  of — luck." 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          211 

"And  all  I  can  say,"  added  Captain  Tom 
Halstead,  "is— wait !" 

Gaston  Giddings,  who,  in  the  morning,  had 
been  so  insistent  on  having  Cragthorpe  set  at 
liberty,  now  underwent  a  complete  change  of 
feeling  in  the  matter. 

"That  wretch  in  the  brig  could  tell  us  some- 
thing about  this  latest  trick/'  declared  the 
young  bank  president,  quivering  with  wrath. 
"Mr.  Baldwin,  why  don't  you  have  the  fellow 
brought  on  deck  and  made  to  confess  whatever 
he  may  know  about  the  plans  of  the  Boilings 
crowd  on  the  'Victor'?" 

"Even  if  Cragthorpe  should  know  all  about 
the  enemy's  plans,"  demanded  the  owner,  "how 
could  I  make  him  confess  if  he  didn't  want  to!" 

"Torture  him,  if  you  have  to,  until  he  talks 
freely,"  snarled  Gaston  Giddings. 

"That  wouldn't  do,"  negatived  Baldwin. 
"This  is  the  twentieth  century,  and  we  live 
under  laws.  We  can't  put  men  to  the  torture 
nowadays. ' ' 

"Then  let  me  go  down  and  see  Cragthorpe," 
cried  Giddings,  nervously.  "I'll  find  a  way  to 
make  him  talk!  Give  me  the  key  to  the  brig." 

To  this  proposition  Captain  Halstead  re- 
turned a  most  emphatic  refusal. 

"Whoop!"  sounded  a  jubilant  voice  from 
below.  "Whoo-oo-oopee!" 


212         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Who  on  earth  is  that?"  demanded  Mr. 
Eoss. 

"Ted  Dyer,  the  last  castaway  we  picked  up 
out  of  the  ocean, ' '  responded  Captain  Halstead. 

"What  on  earth  can  he  find  to  be  so 
joyous " 

"Whoo-oop!"  interrupted  Ted  himself,  ap- 
pearing on  deck  at  that  instant.  His  eyes  were 
snapping  with  excitement,  his  face  fairly  glow- 
ing with  delight. 

"Say,  do  you  know  what's  down  in  the  fore- 
hold,  sir?"  he  demanded,  facing  Captain  Tom 
Halstead. 

"No;  and  how  do  you?"  broke  in  Joseph 
Baldwin,  interrupting. 

"Quartermaster  Bickson  set  me  to  tidying  up 
there,"  explained  Ted.  Then,  turning  to  the 
young  skipper,  the  San  Francisco  boy  rattled  on : 

"There's  a  case  there,  under  a  lot  of  other 
stuff,  marked  l shotguns,'  and  another  case 
marked  i  rifles. '  Then  there  are  other  boxes  lab- 
eled '  ammunition. '  " 

"Great  Scott!  I  had  forgotten  that  stuff— 
didn't  know  it  was  on  board,  in  fact,"  exclaimed 
the  owner. 

"I  heard  you  tell,"  Ted  hastened  on,  speaking 
to  Tom  Halstead,  "how  you  were  handicapped, 
when  right  alongside  the  ' Victor,'  by  not  having 
any  firearms  except  the  two  revolvers  of  the 


AT   THE   GOLDEN   GATE          213 

deputy  marshals.     But,  now!     You've  got  an 
arsenal  if  those  boxes  are  labeled  straight." 

1 1 1  believe  the  boxes  are  labeled  all  right, ' '  re- 
plied Joseph  Baldwin,  smiling  sadly.  "Yet, 
now  that  we  know  we  have  weapons  enough  at 
hand  we  haven't  any  steam  yacht  to  board!" 


CHAPTER   XXI 

ON    A   BLIND    TRAIL    OF    THE    SEA 

"^  I  ^  HOSE  guns  were  put  aboard  six  months 

ago,  when  I  was  planning  to  run  the 

' Panther'   down  to   Guatemala  on  a 

jaguar-hunting  trip,"  explained  Mr.  Baldwin. 

"Afterwards,  when  the  trip  was  abandoned,  the 

guns  were  taken  ashore.     I'll  admit  I  didn't 

know  the  arms  were  now  on  board." 

"We  may  catch  up  with  those  rascals  again, 
sir, ' '  suggested  Ted  Dyer,  hopefully. 

"I  wish  I  had  your  enthusiasm,  and  your  be- 
lief in  the  future,  young  man,"  remarked  Mr. 
Baldwin,  with  a  shake  of  his  head. 

"Anyway,  since  the  weapons  have  been 
found,"  interjected  Halstead,  "they  may  as  well 
be  taken  out  of  their  cases  and  cleaned,  and  the 
ammunition  sorted  over.  We  should  have  such 
things  where  we  can  get  at  them  in  a  moment, 
at  need." 


214         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

"Eight  enough,"  nodded  the  owner. 

"I'll  go  down  and  have  a  look  at  the  things," 
proposed  the  young  skipper.  "Lead  the  way, 
Dyer." 

Ted  went  below,  jubilantly  enough,  pointing 
out  the  cases,  which  he  had  dragged  out  from 
under  other  supplies.  Then  Dyer  went  to  the 
engine  room  for  hammer,  cold  chisel  and  screw- 
driver, after  which  the  cases  were  opened. 

' '  Ten  splendid  repeating  rifles,  the  same  num- 
ber of  dandy  shot-guns,  and  ammunition  enough 
to  keep  these  guns  firing  for  a  week,"  muttered 
Halstead  when  half  an  hour's  work  had  resulted 
in  displaying  all  the  contents  of  the  cases.  ' '  Oh, 
if  we  had  only  had  these  the  other  night,  or  at 
any  time  when  we  were  out  of  the  great  fog  and 
in  sight  of  the  ' Victor'!" 

Eegrets  were,  however,  utterly  useless. 

All  of  the  weapons  were  taken  on  deck.  Some 
were  stacked  in  the  wheel  house,  others  in  Tom's 
cabin  and  some  in  the  owner's  suite.  Boxes  of 
cartridges  and  shells  were  also  placed  with  the 
guns. 

"I  shall  hate  these  things  every  time  I  see 
them,"  muttered  Joseph  Baldwin.  "I  should 
have  remembered,  and  have  had  a  search  made. 
But  it's  no  use  fussing  now." 

"Oh,  if  we  only  could  meet  up  with  those  fel- 
lows, now!"  sighed  Tom. 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          215 

;<  Humph!  If  hens  would  only  lay  eggs  of 
solid  gold,"  snorted  Mr.  Baldwin,  " there 'd  be 
no  sense  in  a  bank  cashier  running  away  with  the 
stuffing  of  the  bank's  vault!  Captain  Halstead, 
we  won't  pick  that  steam  yacht  up  again  in  this 
fog." 

i '  Then,  sir,  we  may  do  it  when  the  fog  lifts, ' ' 
predicted  Halstead,  hopefully. 

Baldwin  shook  his  head. 

"All  we  can  do,  young  man,  is  to  keep  on  in  a 
general  course  toward  San  Francisco,  as  we're 
doing.  This  fog  will  probably  hang  to  us  all  the 
way  to  our  anchorage  off  Market  Street.  If  the 
fog  should  lift  before  that,  there  isn't  one  chance 
in  a  thousand  that  we'll  find  the  *  Victor'  in 
sight." 

"I'm  on  this  cruise,  sir,"  rejoined  the  young 
captain,  "with  the  notion  that  the  cruise  can't 
end  until  we've  run  alongside  the  i Victor'  some- 
where. It  may  be  that  we'll  sight  some  other 
vessel  that  has  seen  the  steam  yacht.  In  that 
way  we  may  get  the  news  that  will  send  us  hust- 
ling down  the  coast  to  Mexico,  or  across  the 
ocean  to  Japan." 

Joseph  Baldwin  grinned  wistfully. 

"Well,  one  thing,  Captain;  we  have  enough 
gasoline  to  go  'most  anywhere.  My  friends 
thought  I  was  almost  crazy  to  have  such  big  tanks 
put  aboard  to  hold  gasoline.  But  I  replied  that, 


216         THE    MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

when  we  didn't  need  the  extra  oil,  it  would  serve 
as  ballast.  If  we  have  to  burn  that  oil  we  can 
fill  the  tanks  with  salt  water  and  still  keep  bal- 
lasted." 

"In  any  clear  weather  we  can  use  the  sails  a 
good  deal,  and  save  oil  at  that,  sir,"  suggested 
the  young  skipper. 

However,  they  continued  on  through  the  fog 
the  rest  of  that  afternoon,  and  through  the  night, 
without  discovering  a  sign  of  any  other  craft. 
The  loneliness  of  that  great  ocean  about  them 
began  to  get  somewhat  on  the  nerves  of  some  of 
the  passengers.  Gaston  Giddings,  suffering  in- 
fernal tortures  for  want  of  the  drug  to  which 
he  had  become  such  a  pitiful  slave,  kept  to  the 
cabin. 

Through  the  long  night  the  "Panther"  kept 
plodding  on  her  way,  rolling  a  good  deal  in  the 
sea.  Tom  spent  much  of  his  time  on  the  bridge 
with  the  watch  officer.  So  morning  came  around 
again,  and  it  was  Third  Mate  Costigan's  deck 
watch. 

Tom,  who  had  been  below  in  his  cabin  for  the 
last  three  hours,  came  on  deck  again  at  about 
nine  in  the  morning.  Somehow,  he  could  not 
sleep.  The  sense  of  failure  preyed  upon  his 
nerves. 

For  some  minutes  Captain  Tom  stood  at  the 
bridge  rail,  one  hand  at  his  ear.  He  was  trying 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          217 

to  catch  even  the  faintest  sound  of  another  fog- 
horn than  the  ' '  Panther 's. ' ' 

At  last  he  started. 

"Did  you  hear  that,  Mr.  Costigan?"  he  de- 
manded. 

"I  heard  nothing,  sir." 

1 '  Then  keep  perfectly  quiet,  and  listen  hard. ' ' 

Within  two  minutes  both  officers  were  sure 
they  heard  a  fog-horn. 

"But  it's  the  fog-horn  of  a  sailing  vessel,'* 
muttered  Tom,  disappointedly. 

"Coming  this  way,  too,  sir,"  replied  Mr. 
Costigan. 

"The  people  on  the  *  Victor'  wouldn't  hesi- 
tate to  use  a  sailing  vessel's  signals  in  order  to 
fool  us, ' '  muttered  Halstead. 

"Shall  I  pass  well  to  starboard  of  the  sailing 
craft,  sir?"  asked  the  third  officer. 

"No;  get  in  her  path.  When  we're  near 
enough,  signal  that  we  want  to  speak  the  other 
vessel,"  Halstead  answered. 

Within  seven  or  eight  minutes  the  1 1  Panther ' ' 
was  signaling  the  other  craft  by  sound  for  the 
desired  marine  interview.  The  "all  right"  sig- 
nal came  back.  Then  the  two  vessels  were  cau- 
tiously manoeuvred  to  meet  each  other  without 
collision. 

At  last  a  big  bowsprit  loomed  up  out  of  the 
white  gloom,  close  at  hand. 


218         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Put  your  helm  hard-a-starboard ! ' '  roared 
Mr.  Costigan  through  the  wheel  house  speaking- 
tube.  Then,  after  some  further  manoeuvring, 
during  which  the  "  Panther 's"  propellers  re- 
versed, the  two  craft  lay  hazily  in  sight  of  each 
other. 

The  stranger  proved  to  be  a  long,  low,  white 
schooner  yacht  hailing  from  San  Diego  as  the 
home  port,  but  now  bound  for  Hawaii. 

"Do  you  know  the  steam  yacht  'Victor'  when 
you  see  her!"  Tom  shouted  over  the  " Pan- 
ther 's"  rail. 

"Yes,"  came  back  the  testy  answer.  "And 
sometimes  we  see  too  much  of  her.  We  did  this 
morning. ' ' 

"You  did?"  Halstead  demanded,  excitedly. 
"Where?" 

"Back  on  our  course.  She  came  along  through 
the  fog  like  a  thief,  without  signaling.  If  my 
first  mate  hadn't  been  in  the  bow  at  the  moment, 
and  able  to  pass  the  order  back  like  lightning, 
that  infernal  steam  yacht  would  have  sunk  us." 

"How  far  away  do  you  think  the  ' Victor'  is 
now  ? ' '  Tom  demanded. 

"At  a  good  guess,  say  twelve  miles  ahead  of 
you,  on  a  pretty  straight  course  for  the  Golden 
Gate." 

"Thank  you,  Captain!" 

' '  You  're  welcome. ' ' 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          219 

As  the  schooner  yacht's  sails  filled,  and  she 
bore  away  on  her  course,  a  dozen  people  on  the 
"Panther's"  deck  let  up  a  wild  cheer. 

"Fog  or  no  fog,  we'll  catch  up  with  the  l Vic- 
tor' if  we  have  luck,"  declared  Captain  Tom 
Halstead.  Then  his  face  took  on  a  troubled  look. 

"I  forgot,"  he  muttered.  "The  captain  of 
the  '  Victor '  will  hear  our  fog  horn,  and — oh,  con- 
found a  fog-horn  on  a  chase  like  this ! ' ' 

' '  Perhaps  this  is  where  a  lawyer  can  help  you 
out,"  smiled  Mr.  Jephson.  "You're  now  a 
dozen  miles  behind  the  *  Victor/  Well,  Cap- 
tain, if  you  tone  down  your  fog-horn  so  that  it 
can't  be  heard  for  more  than  half  or  three  quar- 
ters of  a  mile,  it  will  still  make  noise  enough  to 
warn  any  innocent  craft  out  of  your  path.  Can't 
you  tone  down  the  horn  1 ' ' 

"Yes,"  answered  Tom,  rather  dubiously,  "if 
it  will  be  strictly  straightforward  and  legal. ' ' 

"As  a  representative  of  the  United  States 
courts,  I'll  take  all  the  responsibility,"  Mr. 
Jephson  pledged  himself.  ' '  I  know, ' '  he  added, 
"that  I  haven't,  really,  a  legal  right  to  authorize 
you  to  go  forward  without  signals.  That  right 
belongs  to  the  Navy,  and  to  revenue  cutter  com- 
manders. But  I'll  take  the  responsibility  upon 
myself,  Captain  Halstead.  All  innocent  vessels 
proceed  under  regular  signals,  anyway,  and  that 
does  away  with  the  risk  of  collision." 


220         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

The  young  motor  boat  captain  needed  no  fur- 
ther urging.  He  called  Joe  on  deck.  Together 
the  two  chums  worked  over  the  fog-horn  until 
the  hail  it  sent  forth  would  not  carry  more  than 
a  half  mile. 

In  the  meantime,  Third  Officer  Costigan,  on 
the  bridge,  had  been  making  use  of  his  arith- 
metic. Figuring  that  the  "  Victor "  was  twelve 
miles  ahead  of  the  "  Panther "  and  still  follow- 
ing the  same  course  at  the  same  speed,  the  third 
mate  had  to  calculate  the  time  that  would  elapse 
before  the  motor  yacht  would  be  just  two  miles 
astern  of  its  quarry. 

At  the  same  time  Ab  Perkins  was  briefly  busy, 
at  least.  It  fell  to  his  share  to  see  that  the  power 
tender  was  all  in  trim  for  lowering  over  the  side. 
Provisions  and  water,  a  compass  and  a  fog-horn 
had  to  be  added  to  the  usual  equipment  of  the 
boat.  Firearms  were  stocked  aboard,  as  well, 
and  a  greater  supply  of  lines  than  the  tender 
usually  carried. 

Meanwhile,  of  course,  the  "  Panther "  was 
traveling  at  increased  speed,  this  speed  being 
carefully  regulated  to  fit  in  with  the  problems 
that  Third  Officer  Costigan  was  so  carefully 
solving. 

For  the  next  two  hours  Captain  Tom  Hal- 
stead  strolled  nervously  about.  Mr.  Jephson, 
Mr.  Baldwin,  Mr.  Boss  and  a  few  others  were 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          221 

observed  to  be  similarly  afflicted  with  restless- 
ness. 

Just  before  noon  Tom  Halstead  climbed  the 
stairs  to  the  bridge,  consulting  Mr.  Costigan's 
figures  carefully. 

"Slow  down  the  speed,"  Halstead  ordered, 
after  a  few  moments -of  listening  that  brought 
to  them  no  sound  showing  another  vessel  to  be 
near.  "Mr,  Perkins,  stand  by  and  lower  the 
tender. ' ' 

As  the  t  ( Panther ' '  slowed  up  there  was  a  rush 
to  the  port  rail,  for  the  tender  was  to  carry  a 
goodly  crew.  When  the  little  power  boat  lay 
in  the  water  alongside,  Captain  Tom  Halstead 
was  the  first  to  go  over  the  side.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  Jed  Prentiss,  who  was  to  act  as  en- 
gineer officer  of  this  expedition.  Then  came 
Mr.  Jephson  and  his  two  deputy  marshals. 
Next  followed  Joe  Dawson,  who  did  not  go  in 
the  capacity  of  engineer.  Messrs.  Baldwin  and 
Boss  next  followed,  then  two  of  the  "Panther's" 
seamen,  and,  last  of  all,  Ted  Dyer.  Quarter- 
master Bickson  had  been  in  the  power  boat  when 
it  was  lowered,  thus  making  twelve  altogether  in 
the  party. 

"Cast  off,"  called  Tom,  sharply,  while  Joe, 
already  at  the  steering  seat,  threw  the  wheel 
over  to  port.  ' ' Mr.  Perkins,  you're  in  command 
of  the  yacht." 


222         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Any  signals  to  arrange  with  us,  Captain?" 
called  the  young  first  mate. 

"No !  I  don't  believe  you'll  see  us  again  in  a 
hurry, "  Tom  replied,  as  the  power  launch  darted 
away,  "unless  we  come  back  on  board  the 
'  Victor  !'" 

From  the  yacht's  rail  came  a  subdued  cheer. 
Halstead  waved  his  hand  to  his  first  mate. 

A  few  bucketfuls  of  water  slopped  over  into 
the  tender.  The  sea  was  running  high  for  such  a 
small  craft.  Those  in  the  launch,  however, 
thought  of  nothing  but  the  goal  ahead. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

A  STEKK   LOOMS   UP   IN    THE   FOG 

JOE  DAWSON,  at  the  wheel  of  the  power 
tender,  bent  grimly  over  the  compass. 

There  was  little  need  for  him  to  look 
about  him,  anyway,  since  it  was  not  possible  to 
see  anything  distinctly  at  a  greater  distance  than 
three  boat-lengths  away. 

Almost  immediately  the  "Panther"  dropped 
back  out  of  view.  The  big  motor  yacht  was  now 
to  go  along  only  at  her  slow  cruising  speed,  but 
the  launch  was  to  make  greater  haste. 

Tom  Halstead  had  taken  his  post  well  up  in 
the  bow  of  the  rolling  little  craft.  He  was  list- 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          223 

ening  intently  for  any  betraying  sounds  ahead  in 
their  course. 

"This  is  hardly  a  big  enough  boat  for  a  sea 
like  this, ' '  grumbled  Mr.  Jephson,  who  had  taken 
up  his  post  close  to  the  young  captain. 

"The  sea  is  a  good  deal  on  the  roll  to-day, " 
Halstead  assented,  briefly. 

"Why,  this  little  craft  acts  as  though  she'd 
turn  over  and  dump  us  all  in  the  ocean,"  mut- 
tered the  assistant  district  attorney,  uneasily. 

"The  crowd  we  have  aboard  makes  her  sit 
lower  than  usual  in  the  water, ' '  Tom  explained. 

"Is  there  any  real  danger  of  our  tipping  over, 
Captain?"  insisted  Mr.  Jephson. 

"Why,  it  might  happen,  of  course,  sir." 

"Do  you  think  it  is  going  to  happen?"  de- 
manded Mr.  Jephson,  anxiously. 

There  are  many  men,  brave  enough  elsewhere, 
who  are  cowards  on  a  heavy  sea  with  only  a  small 
boat  between  themselves  and  the  water.  Back 
on  the  "Panther"  the  district  attorney's  repre- 
sentative had  felt  no  sense  of  danger. 

"Why,  I  don't  know  whether  the  boat  is 
going  to  heel  over,  or  not,"  Tom  replied.  "You 
are  right  in  supposing  that  it  isn't  quite  a  large 
enough  craft  for  the  job  in  hand,  but  it  was  the 
only  thing  we  had." 

"I  can't  swim,  but  I'll  try  to  keep  my  nerve," 
grimaced  Mr.  Jephson. 


224         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Whatever  the  others  thought  of  their  chances 
of  being  pitched  into  the  ocean,  none  of  them 
said  anything. 

Halstead  looked  back,  presently,  to  inquire : 

"Mr.  Prentiss,  can't  you  deaden  the  noise  of 
our  exhaust  still  more  ? ' ' 

"Pm  trying  to,"  replied  the  young  assistant 
engineer.  " Think  I'm  going  to  succeed,  too." 

After  a  few  moments  the  tender  ran  along  all 
but  noiselessly.  Though  the  exhaust  still  gave 
forth  some  little  sound,  it  was  wholly  likely  that 
this  reduced  noise  would  not  be  heard  above  the 
machinery  running  on  the  "Victor"  if  the  ex- 
pedition in  the  tender  should  be  so  fortunate  as 
to  catch  up  with  the  steam  yacht. 

The  twelve  men  sat  huddled  there  in  the 
cramped  space,  trying  to  blind  their  minds  to 
the  danger  of  capsizing  in  the  rolling  sea.  For 
more  than  half  an  hour  the  tender  ran  ahead  at 
nearly  its  best  speed,  ere  Tom  Halstead  called 
back: 

"Joe,  take  my  signals.  I  think  we're  getting 
in  closer — to  something!" 

Eagerly  all  bent  forward  to  listen.  After  a 
minute  or  two  more  it  seemed  to  them  that  they 
really  could  hear,  faintly,  the  rather  distant 
sound  of  the  moving  machinery  of  some  steam 
craft.  Yet  this  noise,  none  too  distinct,  was 
muffled  still  more  by  the  ceaseless  wash  of  the 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          225 

rolling  sea,  whose  waves  broke  in  white  crests 
everywhere  about  them. 

Halstead,  whose  ears  were  perhaps  the  keenest 
on  board,  listened  and  occasionally  signaled  for 
the  launch  to  be  veered  a  little  either  to  port  or 
starboard. 

Surely,  they  were  creeping  up  on  something 
that  ran  by  machinery,  though  through  the  cur- 
tain of  white  no  eye  could  make  out  the  form  of 
a  vessel. 

Somewhere,  away  to  starboard,  a  great,  deep 
note  boomed  out. 

"That's  some  big  vessel,  like  a  liner,"  Tom 
whispered  to  Jephson.  Then,  from  away  off  to 
port  sounded  the  tolling  bell  of  a  sailing  vessel. 
Both  appeared  to  be  headed  toward  the  "  Pan- 
ther V  launch. 

"They  seem  to  be  about  half  a  mile  apart," 
Halstead  whispered.  "The  ' Victor,'  I  think, 
will  pass  between  the  two  craft.  While  that  deep 
whistle  and  solemn  bell  are  going  the  people  on 
the  steam  yacht  are  not  so  likely  to  hear  us. 
Pass  the  word  to  Mr.  Prentiss  to  increase  speed 
a  little,  if  he  can  do  so  without  making  more 
noise  at  the  exhaust. ' ' 

A  little  faster  spurted  the  power  tender,  and 
a  little  worse  became  the  tossing  in  that  rolling 
sea.  All  the  members  of  the  party  were  in 
drenched  clothing  by  this  time.  The  water  came 

IS—  The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


226         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

i 

aboard  faster  under  this  burst  of  speed ;  the  two 
seamen  began  to  bail  it  out, 

"If  I  ever  get  out  of  this  boat  alive,  large 
yachts  will  be  small  enough  for  me  in  the  fu- 
ture, "  Mr.  Jephson  told  himself,  nervously. 

Tom  Halstead  was  paying  no  heed  to  the  in- 
coming water.  That  was  Joe's  affair,  since  Joe 
Dawson  was  handling  the  craft. 

"Pass  the  word  to  Jed  to  watch  for  signals 
from  me,"  whispered  Tom  Halstead,  tensely,  a 
few  minutes  later. 

"Then  you  think "  began  the  district  at- 
torney's assistant  eagerly. 

"Pass  the  word  for  me,  please,"  Tom  broke  in. 

In  the  gray  fog  ahead  some  craft  was  moving 
by  steam  power.  Those  in  the  launch  could  now 
hear  the  regular  thump-thump,  soft  though  it 
was,  of  machinery  ahead. 

Yet,  to  most  of  the  silent  watchers  it  came  as 
something  of  a  shock  when,  out  of  the  mist  ahead, 
there  suddenly  loomed,  indistinctly,  the  stern  of 
a  hull. 

Away  to  starboard  sounded  the  deep  whistle  of 
the  big  steamship,  while  over  to  port  the  bell  of 
that  sailing  vessel  tolled.  The  noise  enabled 
Halstead  to  creep  in  more  closely  with  less  dread 
of  being  discovered  too  soon. 

A  moment's  breathlessness,  then  "Victor — 
San  Francisco"  stood  out  boldly  before  the  eyes 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          227 

of  the  people  in  the  launch  as  that  boat  shot  in 
by  the  yacht's  stern. 

They  were  taking  grave  chances,  now,  of  be- 
ing swamped  at  the  very  door  of  success.  None 
knew  this  better  than  Tom  Halstead  and  Joe 
Dawson  as  they  jointly  manoeuvred  to  run  the 
tender  up  stealthily,  while  Jed  Prentiss,  tremb- 
ling inwardly,  kept  his  hand  on  the  lever,  ready 
to  obey  the  slightest  signal  for  speed. 

Then,  swiftly,  Tom  Halstead,  a  rifle  strapped 
over  his  back,  rose  in  the  bow.  In  one  hand  he 
held  a  line  to  the  other  end  of  which  was  attached 
a  grappling  hook. 

With  a  practiced  eye  and  hand  he  measured 
the  distance,  poising  the  coil  for  a  throw.  Just 
as  the  tender  stole  in  closer  he  made  the  throw. 

All  hands  watched  breathlessly  for  a  second  or 
two.  Then,  as  straight  and  true  as  a  well-aimed 
bullet,  the  grappling  hook  fell  and  caught  at  the 
'  '  Victor 's ' '  stern  rail. 

Not  an  instant  did  the  young  motor  boat  skip- 
per lose.  There  was  no  time  to  inquire  whether 
someone  else  wanted  to  go  first.  Tom  Halstead 
seized  the  tautening  line  with  both  hands,  and 
began  to  climb  as  only  a  sailor  can  go  up  a  rope. 

His  head  quickly  appeared  above  the  steam 
yacht's  stern  rail.  Tom  Halstead  slipped  onto 
the  deck  just  in  time  to  see  two  men  walking 
slowly  aft.  One  of  them  was  in  uniform — per- 


228         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

haps  he  was  the  captain  of  the  steam  yacht. 
But  the  other,  in  civilian  dress,  the  young  motor 
yacht  captain  knew  instantly  from  the  descrip- 
tion of  him  which  he  had  heard. 

"  Frank  Boilings,  the  ahsconding  cashier !" 
flashed  through  Tom's  mind. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 


BOTH  approaching  men  were  regarding 
the  deck,  talking  in  earnest  tones  as  they 
came  astern. 

"If  we  should  pass  out  of  this  fog,"  Rollings 
was  saying,  "and  if  the  i Panther'  should  prove 
to  be  close  to  us 

Just  at  this  point  the  speaker  stopped.  He 
panted,  then  staggered  back,  clutching  at  his  uni- 
formed companion. 

In  almost  the  same  instant  both  caught  sight 
of  lone  Tom  Halstead. 

Though  not  quite  alone,  either,  for  Tom  had 
succeeded  in  unlimbering  his  rifle,  and  both 
strangers  now  found  themselves  staring  down 
into  the  muzzle. 

"Don't  stir,  please!"  mocked  Tom  Halstead, 
coolly. 

"How  in  the  world  did  he  get  on  board?" 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          229 

faltered  Rollings,  hoarsely,  his  face  ashen  with 
terror. 

The  uniformed  man  with  him  saw  the  grap- 
pling hook  resting  over  the  stern  rail,  and  did  not 
need  to  ask. 

At  this  instant  Tom  Halstead  felt  himself  be- 
ing pushed  from  behind,  and  took  a  step  forward. 
Then  Ted  Dyer  bounded  onto  deck  beside  him, 
bringing  another  rifle  into  play. 

"They're  boarding  us!"  gasped  Rollings,  in 
the  voice  of  a  man  who  felt  himself  dying  from 
fright. 

The  uniformed  man  with  him  did  not  move; 
neither  did  he  show  any  signs  of  fear,  though  he 
was  facing  the  business  ends  of  two  rifles. 

Joe  Dawson  was  on  deck,  now.  Joe  turned 
long  enough  to  toss  down  a  light  line.  It  came 
up  again,  carrying  the  hooks  of  a  boarding-lad- 
der. Joe  dropped  this  into  place,  then,  with  a 
quiet  grin,  turned  to  inspect  the  scene  on  deck. 

Suddenly  the  man  in  uniform  turned  and  ran, 
defying  possible  shots. 

"Turn  out  the  whole  crew!"  he  bawled.  "A 
posse  is  coming  on  board.  Stand  by  to  fight!" 

"Shall  I  drop  the  fellow?"  quivered  Ted. 

"No,"  came  Halstead 's  quick  answer.  Then, 
as  Frank  Rollings  summoned  the  strength  to 
wheel  about  as  if  to  bolt,  Halstead  shouted, 
warningly : 


230         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Rollings,  if  you  try  to  move,  you  won't  get 
three  steps  away!" 

At  this  instant  one  of  the  United  States  deputy 
marshals  came  up  over  the  rail. 

11  Officer,"  called  Tom,  "there's  the  man 
you've  cruised  so  far  to  arrest." 

Though  he  had  a  rifle  strapped  over  his  back, 
the  marshal  drew  his  revolver  as  he  ran  forward. 

1 1  Frank  Rollings,  you  're  a  United  States  pris- 
oner. Put  up  your  hands ! ' ' 

With  a  moan  that  was  half  a  scream,  Rollings, 
instead,  sank  to  the  deck  in  a  huddled  heap. 

"A  man  with  no  more  nerve  than  you  have 
should  not  try  to  loot  a  bank,"  growled  the  offi- 
cer, as  he  snapped  handcuffs  onto  the  wrists  of 
the  seemingly  palsied  wretch. 

The  other  deputy  was  on  board,  by  now,  and 
other  members  of  the  boarding  party  were  com- 
ing up  fast.  Mr.  Jephson  was  among  the  fore- 
most of  them. 

"Come  forward  to  the  bridge,"  he  called, 
now  taking  charge.  "We'll  take  command  of 
this  whole  craft.  Deputy,  make  it  your  whole 
business  to  prevent  your  prisoner  from  getting 
away.  Hold  on  to  him,  but  come  forward  with 
us." 

The  same  uniformed,  bearded  man  appeared 
suddenly  around  the  pilot  house  as  the  party 
swept  forward  along  the  port  side  of  the  yacht. 


Boilings  Sank  to  the  Deck  in  a  Huddled  Heap. 
231 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          233 

Boilings,  his  knees  doubling  under  him,  had  to 
be  dragged. 

The  uniformed  man  suddenly  raised  a  rifle, 
shouting: 

"Stand  by,  men!  We'll  put  a  stop  to  this 
nonsense !" 

"Drop  that  gun,  or  we'll  open  fire  on  you!" 
shouted  Mr.  Jephson,  sternly. 

The  boarding  party  moved  swiftly  forward. 
Behind  the  captain  stood  a  mate  and  four  or 
five  seamen,  all  looking  irresolute.  Of  a  sud- 
den the  mate  wheeled,  throwing  a  rifle  over  the 
rail  at  starboard.  The  seamen  with  him  in- 
stantly followed  his  example. 

Even  the  bearded  captain  had  lowered  the 
muzzle  of  his  rifle.  It  is  easier  to  be  brave  on 
the  side  of  the  law  than  against  it. 

"Put  that  captain  in  irons,"  Mr.  Jephson 
ordered  the  marshal  who  had  no  prisoner  to 
cumber  him. 

Sullenly,  the  captain  of  the  "Victor"  sub- 
mitted to  being  handcuffed. 

"All  of  the  rest  of  the  officers  and  crew  mus- 
ter up  in  the  bow, ' '  called  Mr.  Jephson.  * '  Cap- 
tain Halstead,  I  call  upon  you  to  take  com- 
mand of  this  yacht  for  the  present.  The 
quartermaster  of  this  craft  may  remain  in  the 
wheel  house  if  he'll  take  orders  straight." 

"Aye,   aye,   sir,"  the  quartermaster   called, 


234         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

briefly,  through  one  of  the  lowered  windows  of 
the  pilot  house. 

Tom  Halstead,  still  carrying  his  rifle  and 
holding  it  ready,  ran  up  to  the  bridge. 

Stepping  over  to  the  signaling  apparatus, 
Halstead  rang  for  speed  enough  to  furnish  bare 
headway. 

"  Quartermaster/ '  the  new  commander  of 
the  "Victor"  called  down  through  the  wheel 
house  speaking-tube,  "you'll  keep  to  the  same 
course  youVe  been  following,  and  sound  the 
fog  whistle  every  thirty  seconds." 

"Captain,"  called  Mr.  Baldwin,  a  few  mo- 
ments later,  "can  you  put  one  of  your  party 
up  there  on  the  bridge!  We  have  yet  other 
duties  to  perform  here." 

"Take  the  bridge,  Mr.  Prentiss,"  called  Tom, 
for  he  understood  instantly  what  other  work 
was  likely  to  be  on  hand,  and  he  knew  that 
Joe  Dawson  would  want  a  hand  in  it. 

Aft  of  the  captain's  quarters  there  was 
a  main  deck  house.  Into  this  cabin  Boilings 
and  the  captain  of  the  steam  yacht  were 
taken.  Mr.  Jephson  was  now  talking  to  the  two 
prisoners  as  solemnly  as  though  holding  actual 
court. 

"Do  you  think  the  ' Panther'  will  overtake 
us  here,  out  on  the  high  seas,  Captain?"  ques- 
tioned Mr.  Baldwin,  just  as  they  entered  this 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          235 

cabin.  "That  is,  will  he  recognize  the  ' Vic- 
tor 's'  fog-whistle? " 

"He'll  make  a  good  guess  at  it,  I  think," 
laughed  Halstead.  "I've  just  directed  Mr. 
Prentiss,  in  ten  minutes  more,  to  begin  sound- 
ing whole  bunches  of  blasts  in  quick  succes- 
sion. Ab  will  be  clever  enough  to  guess  that  it 
is  our  crowd  celebrating  a  capture." 

"Now,  then,  Boilings/'  declared  Mr.  Jeph- 
son,  sternly,  "it  is  time  for  you  to  tell  us  where 
the  money  stolen  from  the  Sheepmen's  Bank 
is  hidden  aboard  this  craft?" 

"You  won't  find  five  hundred  dollars  on 
board,"  replied  the  cashier,  with  a  ghastly 
smile. 

"My  man,  it  may  save  you  some  years  on  the 
sentence  that  is  coming  to  you  if  you  tell  us 
promptly  where  to  find  the  stolen  money," 
warned  the  United  States  assistant  district  attor- 
ney, sternly. 

"I've  said  all  I'm  going  to  say,"  returned 
Boilings,  sullenly. 

"Captain  Blake,"  asked  Jephson,  turning 
toward  the  bearded  one,  "you  also  have  much 
to  answer  for  in  the  courts.  Do  you  desire  to 
win  any  leniency  by  telling  us,  now,  what  you 
can?" 

"All  I've  anything  to  do  with  here,"  re- 
torted Captain  Blake,  "is  the  running  of  this 


236         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

yacht.  That  work  you  Ve  taken  from  me.  So 
I've  nothing  to  do,  and  nothing  to  say." 

Mr.  Jephson,  however,  continued  to  question 
first  one  prisoner,  then  the  other,  though  in 
vain,  until  Mr.  Baldwin  broke  in: 

"Jephson,  you  can't  make  these  fellows  talk. 
They're  afraid  they'd  only  run  their  necks 
further  into  the  noose  of  the  law.  Besides, 
this  rascal,  Rollings,  hopes  that,  if  you  can't 
find  the  money,  he'll  win  complete  pardon  in 
the  matter  by  restoring  most  of  it  later  on. 
It'll  save  a  good  deal  of  time,  I  imagine,  if  you 
place  both  these  fellows  under  close  guard  by 
one  of  your  deputies,  then  lead  us  in  a  search 
through  this  craft." 

By  this  time  Jed  Prentiss,  following  orders, 
had  begun  to  turn  loose  on  the  fog-horn,  sound- 
ing it  so  rapidly  that  Ab  Perkins,  somewhere 
behind  in  the  mist  with  the  "Panther,"  must 
be  able  to  guess  what  had  happened. 

One  of  the  deputies  now  guarded  Rollings 
and  Captain  Blake,  while  the  other  had  gone 
below  to  the  engine  room.  There  the  engineer's 
crew  had  agreed  to  serve  faithfully  under  the 
new  command,  but  the  deputy  was  there  to  see 
to  it  that  they  didn't  change  their  minds. 
Quartermaster  Bickson  and  one  of  his  seamen 
had  driven  the  crew  of  the  "  Victor "  to  the  fore- 
castle, and  mounted  guard  over  them. 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          237 

The  searchers,  comprising  Mr.  Jephson,  Mr. 
Baldwin  and  the  latter 's  captain,  Halstead, 
were  joined  by  Mr.  Eoss,  Joe  Dawson  and  Ted 
Dyer. 

" There  are  enough  of  us  here,"  laughed  Mr. 
Baldwin,  "to  turn  this  craft  inside  out  in.  an- 
other half  hour." 

First  of  all,  Frank  Boilings 's  own  quarters 
were  searched,  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  had 
been  learned,  since  coming  aboard,  that  the 
absconding  cashier  was  now  the  owner  of  the 
"Victor,"  having  bought  her  secretly  three 
days  before  his  flight. 

There  was  no  safe  in  the  owner's  cabin. 
The  desk  stood  wide-open,  with  hardly  a  scrap 
of  paper  in  it.  The  mattress  was  yanked  from 
the  bed,  ripped  and  thoroughly  searched,  but 
not  a  trace  of  the  stolen  money  was  found.  The 
pillows  were  served  in  the  same  fashion,  with 
no  better  results.  Other  nooks  and  corners  of 
the  cabin  were  explored,  without  success.  Nor 
were  any  better  results  achieved  in  the  cap- 
tain's cabin. 

Cabin,  dining  room  and  state-rooms  below 
were  explored.  By  this  time  the  searchers  had 
broken  up  into  smaller  parties.  The  more  they 
searched  the  more  dispirited  did  the  hunters 
become. 

"We're  not  going  to  find  the  missing  money 


238         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

with  ease,"  announced  Mr.  Jephson,  when  he 
had  rounded  up  all  his  searching  force  on  deck. 

"We've  looked  in  about  every  possible 
place  except  the  forecastle,  the  water  butts  and 
the  coal  bunkers, "  declared  Jason  Ross,  dis- 
gustedly. 

"The  money  isn't  likely  to  be  in  any  of  those 
places,"  declared  Mr.  Jephson,  shaking  his 
head.  "Hullo,  what's  that  racket?" 

Off  in  the  fog  a  horn  was  sounding  frantic- 
ally. 

Tom  Halstead  laughed. 

"You  ought  to  know  that  tune,  Mr.  Jephson. 
You've  heard  it  days  enough.  That's  the 
'Panther'  coming  up  with  us,  with  Ab  Perkins 
in  command.  He  understood  our  signal,  as  I 
thought  he  would.  He'll  be  hailing  us  within 
two  minutes." 

"But  that  won't  be  finding  the  money," 
broke  in  Joseph  Baldwin,  impatiently. 

"Nor  do  I  believe  we're  going  to  find  it — not 
immediately,  anyway,"  answered  Mr.  Jephson. 
"This  boat  doesn't  seem  to  be  full  of  hiding 
places,  and  I  believe  we  have  done  all  the 
searching  we  can  do  out  here  at  sea.  We  shall 
have  to  run  the  ' Victor'  in  at  anchorage  at  San 
Francisco,  then  put  aboarcl  a  force  of  officers 
under  experienced  detectives,  and  leave  the 
search  to  them." 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          239 

" Confound  it,"  growled  Jason  Eoss,  "I 
know,  as  well  as  I  know  I'm  standing  here,  that 
there  are  three  million  dollars  in  actual  cash 
somewhere  within  a  hundred  feet  of  us.  It 
makes  me  almost  frantic  to  think  that  we  can't 
put  our  hands  right  on  it." 

"Ahoy,  there!"  roared  a  voice  off  in  the  fog. 

Though  the  other  craft  was  invisible,  and 
though  the  voice  came  through  a  megaphone, 
the  hearers  knew  it  was  Ab  Perkins's  voice. 
Jed  snatched  up  a  megaphone  to  shout  back : 

"Ahoy,  'Panther'!" 

"Ahoy!     Then  you've  found  the  ' Victor'?" 

"Aye,  and  captured  her." 

"Did  you  find  Boilings  1" 

"He's  a  prisoner,  under  close  guard." 

"And  the  money?" 

"That's  what  we  all  want  to  know,"  Jed 
admitted,  sadly. 

"You  can't  find  it?" 

"Not  even  a  dollar  bill!" 

There  was  a  pause,  during  which  those  on 
board  the  steam  yacht  knew  that  their  friends 
on  the  motor  yacht  were  discussing  this  chilling 
news. 

"What  are  Captain  Halstead's  orders?" 
shouted  Ab,  finally. 

Jed  bent  over  the  bridge  rail  to  talk  with 
Captain  Tom,  then  answered: 


240         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

"Keep  about  abreast  of  us,  and  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  off.  Proceed  with  us,  straight  for  the 
Golden  Gate.  Keep  your  fog-horn  sounding  at 
intervals  of  one  minute,  or  at  such  other  inter- 
vals as  you  may  hear  us  sounding.  Three  sharp 
blasts  of  the  whistle  will  mean  for  you  to  stand 
by  to  find  out  what  we're  doing  in  the  fog." 

"Aye,  aye,"  answered  Ab  Perkins.  "Is  that 
all?" 

"That's  all,  Mr.  Perkins." 

The  "Victor"  now  proceeded  on  her  way  to 
the  home  port  at  about  eight  miles  an  hour. 
Though  no  one  on  board  could  see  the  "Pan- 
ther," the  sound  of  the  latter 's  fog-horn  was 
always  with  them. 

' '  The  prisoner,  Rollings,  wants  to  see  you,  Mr. 
Jephson,"  called  the  deputy  marshal  from  the 
deck-house  cabin. 

Jephson  went  back. 

"Well,  Rollings,  have  you  come  to  your 
senses?  Are  you  going  to  tell  us  where  the 
missing  money  is!"  demanded  the  assistant 
district  attorney. 

"I  know  nothing  about  any  missing  money," 
replied  the  bank  cashier,  doggedly.  "See  here, 
man,  what  I  want  to  ask  is:  Do  you  intend  to 
torture  me  needlessly?" 

"No;   what  do  you  want?" 

"Let  me  go  to  my  own  cabin,  and  let  me 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          241 

have  these  handcuffs  off,"  pleaded  the  prisoner. 
"I  need  rest;  I'm  nearly  a  wreck. " 

"I  can  let  you  go  to  your  cabin,  and  even 
remove  the  handcuffs,"  agreed  Mr.  Jephson. 
"But  I'll  have  to  place  a  guard  in  there  with 
you." 

"All  right,  then,"  sighed  the  prisoner. 

He  was  taken  to  his  own  cabin,  the  handcuffs 
removed,  and  the  cashier  threw  himself  upon 
his  bed,  while  the  deputy  marshal  took  a  seat 
where  he  could  watch  his  man. 

Captain  Blake  begged  a  similar  privilege, 
which  was  refused.  He  was  made  to  go  out 
on  deck  where  he  could  be  watched  by  all 
hands. 

For  half  an  hour  Boilings  lay  on  the  bed, 
his  eyes  closed,  as  though  asleep.  Occasion- 
ally he  twitched,  or  made  some  slight  move- 
ment. That  was  all.  The  deputy  seated  op- 
posite began  to  find  the  situation  a  dull  one. 
At  last  the  prisoner  half  sat  up,  to  take  off  his 
shoes. 

"My  feet  are  burning,"  he  complained,  as 
he  dropped  the  shoes  at  the  foot  of  the  bed, 
then  sank  back  on  the  pillow. 

"You're  nervous;  that's  why  your  feet 
trouble  you,"  observed  the  deputy,  with  a 
knowing  smile. 

Then  Boilings  began  to  breathe  heavily;  bye 

16— The  Motor  Boat  Club  at  the  Golden  Gate. 


242         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

and  bye  two  or  three  snores  escaped  him.  The 
deputy,  finding  it  duller  and  duller,  uninten- 
tionally allowed  his  eyes  to  close.  Instantly 
the  cashier's  own  eyes  opened  a  trifle.  At  last, 
smiling  cunningly,  the  cashier  moved  slightly, 
securing  one  of  his  shoes.  He  poised  it,  aimed 
and  threw.  The  heel  of  the  shoe  struck  the 
deputy  on  the  head,  causing  him  to  drop  for- 
ward out  of  the  chair  and  lie  apparently  sense- 
less on  the  floor. 

Suppressing  a  cry  of  exultation,  Frank  Koll- 
ings  leaped  from  the  bed.  There  was  now  the 
light  of  mania  in  his  eyes.  This  thief,  dis- 
graced, about  to  be  despoiled,  and  presently  to 
be  sent  to  prison  for  a  long  term,  preferred  to 
die. 

This  he  might  have  accomplished  with  the 
deputy's  revolver,  but  that  would  not  enable 
him  to  carry  out  all  of  his  purpose.  On  one 
wall  of  the  cabin  stood  a  rack  containing  a 
water-bottle  and  two  glasses. 

Over  to  this  rack  stole  the  captured  thief. 
He  swung  the  rack  to  one  side,  then  pressed  a 
certain  nail  in  the  wood-work  there.  Instantly 
a  door  in  the  wall  swung  open. 

Boilings 's  eyes  eagerly  peered  into  the  recess 
thus  laid  bare.  Then,  with  a  nearly  inarticu- 
late cry  of  joy,  he  drew  out  a  small  though 
heavy-looking  iron  box. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          243 

1 1  Neither  me  nor  the  money  shall  they  have ! ' ' 
uttered  the  wretch,  in  insane  joy. 

With  a  last  look  at  the  still  unconscious 
deputy,  Frank  Boilings  threw  his  cabin  door 
open. 

As  he  sprang  to  the  deck  three  or  four 
watchers  saw  him. 

"Look  out!  There 's  the  prisoner  trying  to 
escape !"  shouted  Joseph  Baldwin. 

There  was  not  time  for  anyone  to  reach 
Boilings  ere  that  crafty,  unbalanced  wretch, 
clutching  desperately  at  the  iron  box,  bounded 
to  the  rail,  stood  there  tottering  for  an  instant, 
and  then  leaped  far  out  into  the  water. 

It  was  Tom  Halstead  who  first  saw  the  iron 
box  and  comprehended  the  meaning  of  the 
scene. 

"There  he  goes!"  yelled  Halstead.  "And 
the  box  with  the  three  millions  in  it  will  sink 
like  a  stone!" 

CHAPTEB  XXIV 

CONCLUSION 

NEVEB  slow  to  act,  Captain  Tom  darted 
aft,  intent  on  leaping  overboard  also. 
Ted  Dyer,  however,  chanced  to  be 
standing  close  to  the  stern.    Ted  saw  Boilings 
when  the  latter  first  leaped  to  the  rail. 


244         THE    MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

As  quickly  as  it  flashed  upon  Dyer  what  was 
happening,  the  San  Francisco  boy  scrambled 
to  the  rail.  Almost  at  the  instant  that  Boil- 
ings jumped  Ted's  own  feet  left  the  rail.  The 
two  struck  the  water  within  thirty  feet  of 
each  other. 

Nothing  but  the  slow  speed  of  the  steam 
yacht,  perhaps,  saved  both  from  being  dragged 
under  by  the  force  of  suction.  In  a  moment 
or  two  the  pair  were  left  astern. 

Feeling  the  shock  of  the  cold  water,  Boil- 
ings 's  first  instinctive  act  was  to  try  to  keep 
himself  afloat.  Curiously,  he  would  not,  at 
first,  let  go  of  the  iron  box,  which,  with  its 
contents,  weighed  many  pounds. 

Now,  over  the  top  of  a  rolling  wave  Ted 
Dyer's  head  appeared.  All  this  had  taken  place 
in  a  few  seconds. 

"You  want  to  catch  me  —  you  want  the 
money!"  sputtered  Boilings,  expelling  a  spray 
of  water  from  his  mouth.  "You  shall  do 
neither!" 

Clutching  tightly  at  the  box  as  an  aid  to 
his  own  drowning,  Frank  Boilings  let  himself 
go  beneath  the  surface. 

Promptly  Ted  went  down  after  him,  swim- 
ming straight  and  lustily. 

Another  figure  sprang  forward  and  down- 
ward, shark-like,  through  the  water.  This  was 


AT    THE   GOLDEN   GATE          245 

Tom  Halstead,  who,  with  his  stoutest  strokes, 
had  just  reached  the  scene. 

Between  them  Tom  and  Ted  succeeded  in 
seizing  the  box.  By  a  common  impulse,  for 
they  could  not  talk,  they  forced  it  from  Boil- 
ings, rising  to  the  surface. 

6 '  Blub-bub-hub— whew ! ' ' 

Boilings,  rising  to  the  surface,  made  that 
noise  as  he  fought  for  breath.  The  cashier,  an 
excellent  swimmer,  saw  the  two  boys,  a  dozen 
feet  away,  swimming  and  holding  up  the  box. 

* '  Neither  me  nor  the  money  shall  you  have ! ' ' 
he  roared,  striking  out  at  a  strong  overhand 
swimming  gait.  He  was  almost  upon  them 
like  a  flash. 

But  there  was  another  there,  too.  Joe  Daw- 
son  had  also  leaped  over  from  the  rail  of  the 
motor  yacht.  Joe  got  along  just  in  time  to 
swim  between  Boilings  and  the  two  boys  who 
were  doing  their  best  to  keep  up  and  hold  the 
iron  box,  too. 

"Back  for  yours!  Go  away  back  and  float  I" 
cried  Joe,  pushing  one  of  his  fighting  hands 
against  the  cashier's  face. 

"I'll  take  you  down,  then,  or  the  box!" 
screamed  Boilings. 

"Oh,  all  right,  then.  Take  me,"  mocked  Joe. 
"I'm  used  to  it." 

Furiously  the  pair  fought  in  that  rolling  sea. 


246         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

Joe  devoted  every  energy,  first  of  all,  to  keep- 
ing the  cashier  from  winding  his  arms  around 
him. 

Presently  Rollings  gave  up  that  effort,  try- 
ing to  dodge  around  Joe  and  get  at  the  other 
pair,  who,  swimming  slowly,  were  at  the  same 
time  managing  to  keep  that  precious  iron  box 
afloat.  This  latter  task,  easy  at  first,  soon  be- 
came difficult.  As  the  minutes  passed  the  box 
became  more  and  more  of  a  burden,  until  it 
threatened  to  drag  both  swimmers  under.  Yet 
they  hung  to  it  manfully. 

Up  on  the  bridge  of  the  "  Victor "  Jed  Pren- 
tiss  had  his  own  hard  task  to  perform. 

Almost  at  the  outset  the  swimmers  had  van- 
ished in  the  fog  astern.  Jed  Prentiss  instantly 
gave  orders  for  the  steam  yacht  to  stop  and 
reverse  the  screw.  At  the  same  time  he  ordered 
the  "Victor"  to  go  around  hard-a-port.  Even 
this  circle  had  to  be  one  of  large  diameter. 

"No  hails  down  there  on  the  deck!"  rang 
Jed's  voice,  sternly.  "No  confusion  of  calls. 
Let  me  do  all  the  hailing." 

Megaphone  in  hand,  young  Prentiss  stood  at 
the  port  bridge  rail. 

"Ahoy!"  he  roared,  through  the  megaphone. 

Again  and  again  he  repeated  the  call.  At 
last  he  thought  he  heard  an  answer  out  of  the 
deeps. 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          247 

11  Louder !"  lie  roared.  "Give  us  your  posi- 
tion." 

Suddenly,  some  sixty  feet  off  the  rail,  Jed 
just  made  out  the  heads  of  Joe  Dawson  and 
Frank  Boilings. 

The  cashier  was  floating,  now,  making  no 
resistance,  for  Joe  had  struck  him  a  blow  across 
the  head  with  his  clenched  fist.  Boilings, 
stunned,  floated  unresistingly,  supported  by 
Dawson. 

"We'll  have  a  boat  to  you  in  a  jiffy!" 
shouted  Jed,  while  Bickson  threw  a  life  pre- 
server with  almost  perfect  aim. 

Now,  the  "Victor,"  whose  speed  had  been 
slowing  down,  was  stopped. 

Joe  and  his  charge  had  drifted  just  out  of 
sight,  but  a  boat  was  quickly  lowered,  under 
command  of  Bickson,  and  reached  the  pair,  after 
hailing. 

"Where's  the  captain!"  demanded  the  quar- 
termaster, as  Joe  and  Boilings  were  hauled  in. 

"Hail  'em.  They're  close  at  hand,"  Joe 
replied. 

The  first  hail  brought  an  answer.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments more  the  iron  box  was  carefully  brought 
over  the  side  into  the  small  boat.  Finally  Tom 
and  Ted  nimbly  joined  the  others. 

' '  Get  back  to  the  yacht  as  quickly  as  you  can. 
Boilings  may  come  to,  and,  fighting  in  a  small 


248         THE   MOTOR   BOAT    CLUB 

boat  like  this,  he  could  make  it  unsafe — for  the 
money, "  Captain  Tom  Halstead  added,  with  a 
wan  grin. 

Little  time  passed  before  strong  hands  bore 
the  iron  box  up  over  the  side  of  the  " Victor." 
Then  Frank  Rollings,  just  beginning  hazily  to 
come  to,  was  carried  up.  This  time  he  was  hand- 
cuffed, to  remain  so  until  San  Francisco  should 
be  reached. 

It  was  an  anxious  conference  that  gathered 
in  the  main  cabin  as  Assistant  District  Attorney 
Jephson  proceeded  to  force  the  iron  box  that  had 
come  within  a  hair 's  breadth  of  going  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  ocean.  The  three  boys  who  had  gone 
overboard  after  it  stood  by  in  their  dripping 
garments. 

As  the  lid  of  the  sheet-iron  box  went  up,  a  sub- 
dued cheer  arose.  This  increased  in  volume  to 
a  din  as  Mr.  Jephson  swiftly  tore  the  paper 
wrappings  from  one  of  the  packages  that  he  had 
lifted  out.  The  first  tightly-packed  bale  of  crisp, 
new  thousand-dollar  bills  was  in  view. 

"All  of  the  stolen  money — the  whole  three  mil- 
lion dollars — appears  to  be  here,"  announced 
Mr.  Jephson,  presently,  as  he  began  placing  the 
bales  back  in  the  iron  box,  which,  now  that  it  was 
open,  proved  not  to  be  as  thick  or  solid  as  it 
looked  when  closed. 

"Then  I'm  off  to  where  I  can  get  dry  and 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          249 

warm,  ' '  muttered  Tom  Halstead.  ' l  Come  along, 
fellows. " 

It  was  all  over  but  making  the  anchorage  at 
San  Francisco.  There  was  a  somewhat  long, 
though  uneventful  cruise,  through  fog  that  lasted 
to  the  end.  With  the  i  i  Panther  ?s ' '  crew  divided 
up  between  two  boats,  the  work  was  hard,  in- 
deed. It  was  a  welcome  hour  to  all  when  an- 
chorage was  finally  made  not  far  from  the  foot 
of  Market  Street,  San  Francisco. 

Frank  Boilings  was  afterwards  tried,  con- 
victed, and  sentenced  to  twenty  years'  confine- 
ment, which  he  is  now  serving. 

Captain  Blake  was  convicted  of  firing  upon 
the  * l  Panther, ' '  of  running  without  lights  or  sig- 
nals, and  of  attempting  to  resist  United  States 
officers.  He  was  sent  to  prison  for  twelve  years. 
Blake  confessed  that  the  idea  in  turning  back 
on  the  course  was  to  elude  the  "Panther,"  and 
then  seek  a  lonely  point  on  the  coast  of  Mexico 
for  landing. 

Nor  did  Cragthorpe  escape,  his  sentence  being 
ten  years  for  the  part  he  had  played.  Yet,  be- 
fore he  was  sent  away,  this  wretch  gave  the  evi- 
dence which  cleared  Robert  Gentry  of  the  crime 
of  which  the  latter  stood  accused.  Young 
Gentry  was  released,  exonerated,  and  Eose  Gen- 
try, whom  Tom  Halstead  had  briefly  befriended 
on  the  Overland  Mail  at  Oakland,  wedded  her 


250         THE   MOTOE   BOAT    CLUB 

own  heart's  choice,  the  broad-shouldered  young 
man  who  had  met  her  at  the  San  Francisco 
ferry  mole. 

Cragthorpe,  as  it  was  afterwards  learned,  had 
been  serving  Boilings  for  some  time,  and  Crag- 
thorpe it  was  who,  having  made  the  acquaintance 
of  Gaston  Giddings,  lured  the  latter  into  the 
opium  dens  of  Chinatown.  Had  Cragthorpe  suc- 
ceeded in  wedding  Eose  Gentry — and  her  for- 
tune— he  might  have  discarded  Boilings.  As  it 
was,  he  participated  deeply  in  Boilings 's  crimes, 
and  had  absconded  from  San  Francisco  with  him 
on  board  the  "Victor"  as  a  fighting  man  and 
trusted  agent. 

Gaston  Giddings  has  been  broken  of  the  fear- 
ful curse  of  the  opium  habit,  but  he  is  no  longer 
president  of  the  Sheepmen's  Bank.  He  is  nat- 
urally too  weak-willed  for  prominent  service  in 
the  financial  world. 

Ted  Dyer,  you  may  be  sure,  became  a  member 
of  the  Motor  Boat  Club,  going  into  its  engineer 
squad.  Ted's  worthless,  heartless  uncle  was  ar- 
rested on  his  return  to  San  Francisco,  and  a  new 
guardian,  who  was  appointed  for  Ted,  secured 
the  young  man's  full  inheritance  back  out  of  the 
property  of  the  uncle. 

All  of  our  young  Motor  Boat  Club  friends  re- 
mained aboard  the  "Panther"  for  the  balance  of 
the  winter  and  well  into  the  spring.  They  had 


AT    THE    GOLDEN   GATE          251 

many  enjoyable  cruises,  though  none  as  exciting 
as  the  one  just  closed. 

The  reward  that  the  directors  of  the  Sheep- 
men's Bank  voted  to  all  hands  for  the  recovery 
of  the  three  million  dollars,  made  the  bank  ac- 
counts of  these  sturdy,  brave  young  navigators 
swell  considerably.  Not,  however,  that  any  of 
Captain  Tom  Halstead's  comrades  needed 
money,  for  they  have  that  which  is  worth  far 
more — the  power  that  strong  hands,  brave  hearts 
and  fearless,  truthful  eyes  bring  to  any  human 
being  when  rightly  employed. 

It  is  possible,  even  very  likely,  that  we  may  yet 
again  meet  up  with  these  splendid  young  fellows, 
who  stand  for  the  new  type  in  American  power 
of  the  seas  in  the  twentieth  century. 

In  the  meantime,  let  us  hail  Tom  Halstead, 
Joe  Dawson,  and  all  the  other  resourceful,  capa- 
ble and  brave  lads  with  their  own  famous  club 
yell: 

"M.  B.  C.  K.I  M.  B.  C.  K.!  Motor  Boat 
Club.  WOW!" 


[THE  END.] 


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THE  MOTOE  BOAT  CLUB  AT  THE 
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the  Great  Fog 

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PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY     ALTEMUS     COMPANY 


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By  Lieut.  Commander  VICTOR   G.   DURHAM 


THE  SUBMAEINE  BOYS  ON  DUTY  or  Life 
on  a  Diving  Torpedo  Boat. 

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HENRY     ALTEMUS     COMPANY 


ALTEMUS'  PONY  RIDER  BOYS  SERIES 

By  FRANK  GEE  PATCHIN 


THE  PONY  RIDER  BOYS  IN  THE  ROCK- 
IES or  the  Secret  of  the  Lost  Claim 

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PHILADELPHIA 
HENRY     ALTEMUS     COMPANY 


ALTEMUS' 
LITTLE  MEN  AND  WOMEN  SERIES 

A  new  Series  for  young  people,  by  the  best  known 
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HIAWATHA,  by  Henry  W.  Longfellow 

ALICE  IN  WONDERLAND  AND  THROUGH  THE  LOOK- 

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PAUL  AND  VIRGINIA,  by  Sainte  Pierre 
GALOPOFF,  THE  TALKING  PONY,  by  Tudor  Jenks 
GYPSY,  THE  TALKING  DOG,  by  Tudor  Jenks 
CAPS  AND  CAPERS,  by  Gabrielle  E.  Jackson 
DOUGHNUTS  AND  DIPLOMAS,  by  Gabrielle  E.  Jackson 
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TOMMY  FOSTER'S  ADVENTURES,  by  Frederick  A.  Ober 
TALES  FROM  SHAKESPEARE,  by  Charles  and  Mary  Lamb 
FOLLY  IN  FAIRYLAND,  by  Carolyn  Wells 
FOLLY  IN  THE  FOREST,  by  Carolyn  Wells 
POLLY  PERKINS'  ADVENTURES,  by  E.  Louise  Liddell 
HELEN'S  BABIES,  by  John  Habberton 
A  LITTLE  ROUGH  RIDER,  by  Tudor  Jenks 
ANOTHER  YEAR  WITH  DENISE  AND  NED  TOODLES, 

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SEA  KINGS  AND  NAVAL  HEROES,  by  Hartwell  James 

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PS  35/5 


